Matthew Brennan storms to first Grand Tour stage victory, Tadej Pogacar finishes third to increase red jersey lead in La Vuelta

Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) powered to his maiden Grand Tour stage win from the first road stage of his career into Manosque, France. When the British rider hit the front and opened the taps a few hundred metres from the line, no other rider could match his speed. Not even Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), who could manage only a distant third, even as he increased his overall race lead in La Vuelta to nine seconds.

The Vuelta’s longest day was a 204km+ hot and hilly race heading west out of Monaco into deepest Provence. Soudal Quick-Step’s Ethan Hayter, sore from having the opening stage and red jersey snatched from him at the last, and by the tiniest of margins, was determined to try to prise la roja from the shoulders of Pogacar. Rather than risk it all on the finish, the Briton saw the bonus seconds at the intermediate sprint as offering him the best chance of achieving that goal. That meant being allowed to get into the breakaway, then on it going all the way to Greoux-les-Bains, almost 180km into the stage.

The first part he achieved within 25km of the start, as he joined early escapees Koen Bouwman (Jayco AlUla) and Diego Uriarte (Equipo Kern Pharma) up the road. Sinhue Fernandez (Burgos-Burpellet-BH) made it a quartet, as the gap to the bunch grew to 90 seconds, before maxing out around two minutes. The peloton was never going to let the break go all the way, but Hayter hoped they would at least be allowed as far as the sprint, where he hoped to take six bonus seconds, enough to put him in provisional red. After that he would need to keep in close enough contact with those nearest to him on GC - namely Pogacar - such that six second gap did not close up again.

He achieved his first aim, but not without a struggle. After Bouwman picked off the two sets of mountains points he needed to take the jersey, the Dutchman dropped back to the bunch, reducing the firepower up front. With the bunch breathing down their necks, inside 50km to go, Uriarte and Fernandez offered little help, so on the rolling terrain Hayter opted to go it alone. He was able to ride a strong solo TT and keep the peloton at enough of a distance to go through the sprint uncontested. Then he sat up and waited for the bunch, before attaching himself to the back of it.

At the front, the battle for position was on between the teams of stage favourites Van Aert and Brennan (Visma), and Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek). With the road already rising, with 2km to go Van Aert attacked. Pogacar was the only man to follow, forcing Lidl-Trek to chase them down.

That meant Brennan received an armchair ride to the front on Pedersen’s wheel, putting him in prime position to come off the wheel and surge to victory. His acceleration was faster than anyone else’s; his top speed higher. When he reached the line there was no other rider in the frame. Pau Miquel (Bahrain Victorious) achieved a career-best race result in second, while Pogacar did well to finish third, adding four bonus seconds to his tally. Hayter was a long way back, ultimately crossing the line in 80th position, 31 seconds down.

It's a nice moment, but the lad probably does alright for kit.

I think the effort he put in early meant it was too hard for him to hold on, and there was nothing his team-mates could have done to save his position.

New general classification:

1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
2. Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) +9''
3. Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) +10''
4. Leo Bisiaux (Decathlon-CMA CGM), +12''
5. Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +14''

1. Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike)
2. Pau Miquel (Bahrain Victorious)
3. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
4. Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
5. Hugo Hofstetter (NSN Cycling)

Coming into the finishing straight it was Brennan, level with Pedersen and Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-Bora-Hangrohe), but when the Darlington-born rider turned on the afterburners neither of them had a hope of holding on. For a so-called sprint stage that was a massive gap at the line. From the side-on view there was - literally - nobody else in the picture.

Brennan had won 19 races this season already, so it was always "when" not "if" he would win a Grand Tour stage, but few expected it to be so definitive and dominant.

He rode away with it, all the way to the line. Brilliant, on his first Grand Tour road stage. Pogacar was up there, but where was the green jersey?

It's all uphill from here. The bunch brings them back.

He wants the gap. He drags out Pogacar. Who is going to chase? The lead of the Vuelta is in play.

Which of the two of them is Visma backing?

Not steep, but steep enough at 3% and 4%. Lidl fight to keep Pedersen at the front, which is made more difficult by all the road furniture. Onley loses a few positions when he's forced to sprint out of a roundabout.

Jayco also come to the fore, as UAE make sure Pogacar isn't too far back. When is he out of position? He's not going for the stage though, surely? Two difficult roundabouts to come, the first negotiated safely.

Which has caught out a few teams. There's now a large pack at the front, and a long string of riders trailing behind on the right. Fortunately Soudal-Quickstep had anticipated that and moved up.

And an overhead view of the bunch shows Hayter does at least have team-mates around him, but they're all at the back of the bunch. It looks like Movistar's Raul Garcia Pena setting the pace at the front, with the GC team bubbles protecting their leaders at all cost.