Briton Matt Brennan wins second stage of the Vuelta a España
British cyclist Matt Brennan of Visma-Lease a Bike won the second stage of the Vuelta a España. After the 214-kilometer route from Monaco, he was the first to finish in the French town of Manosque, Channel NewsAsia reports.
Tadej Pogačar finished third on the stage and retained the red jersey as the overall leader. Pau Miquel of Bahrain Victorious finished second.
Brennan's Grand Tour debut
This race was the first Grand Tour of 21-year-old Brennan's career. On the climb before the finish in Manosque, he outpaced his rivals in the sprint and claimed the biggest victory of his career.
Brennan joined Visma-Lease a Bike's WorldTour squad in 2025. According to him, the team saw an opportunity to attack late in the stage, and he was pleased to finish it with a victory.
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Pogačar retains the lead
Pogačar won the opening individual time trial, beating Briton Ethan Hayter by 0.09 seconds. Ahead of the third stage, his lead in the overall standings over Wout van Aert stands at nine seconds, while Brennan is third, 10 seconds behind.
Hayter was part of a small early breakaway and earned six bonus seconds at the final intermediate sprint, which could have put him into the overall lead. However, on the approach to Manosque, he found himself at the back of the stretched peloton.
With around 1.5 km remaining, it appeared that Pogačar and van Aert would contest the stage victory. However, Pogačar slowed down, and Brennan seized the moment. The third stage will take place in the French Pyrenees and finish with a mountain finish in Font-Romeu near the border with Spain.
