Vuelta a España Stage 16: Brennan and Van Aert Stampede to Win No. 6 for Visma

Matthew Brennan made it four wins at his debut Vuelta a España on Tuesday.

The 21-year-old grand tour rookie was given a luxury leadout by Wout van Aert in the sprint final of stage 16 on Tuesday before he kicked to a near-uncontested win.

Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) finished second, several bike lengths back. Vito Braet (Intermarché-Lotto) nabbed third for one of the best results of his career.

Race leader Enric Mas (Movistar) and all his GC rivals came to the line safely as the Vuelta rushes into its decisive final block of racing through Andalucía and into Granada.

Visma-Lease a Bike is making hay without a GC leader

The Brennan-Van Aert double-punch has proven brutally effective through this Vuelta a España.

Without top-name sprint rivals or a GC leader to worry about, Visma-Lease a Bike’s deadly duo has combined to win six stages in total (four with Brennan, two with Van Aert).

After Brennan helped set up Van Aert for two breakaway wins over the weekend, it was the Belgian’s turn to play superdomestique on Tuesday.

Visma-Lease a Bike controlled all through the stage before Van Aert lit the jets on his leadout at around 300m to go.

Brennan made the finish look easy.

“It’s unbelievable, four victories here. The plan was for one,” Brennan said at the finish.

“As a team we’re now on six – I think – I’ve lost count we’ve won so many,” he joked.

Brennan has marked himself as the new WorldTour supersprinter with his meteoric rise.

However, he’s barely been able to miss at this Vuelta.

Van Aert is proving the ultimate sprint pilot, and Brennan knows it.

“I don’t think you can compete,” Brennan said when asked about his VIP sidekick.

“It’s a real big shame we’ve lost Christophe [Laporte], but it’s still unbelievable what we can do even when we’re a man down.

“I really trusted Wout, and I followed his wheel all the way,” Brennan continued. “It’s incredible he can put you in such a perfect position in such a chaotic race.”

Mas moves one day closer to coveted Vuelta a España victory

The result Tuesday leaves Mas 2:06 ahead of Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) on GC. Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) continues in third, just four seconds back on Gall.

Mas now faces just the five most crucial days of his career.

A sprint stage, time trial, two mountain stages, and a final romp through Granada separate the 31-year-old Spaniard from a dream home grand tour win.

Vuelta a España continues to cook in first of two sprint stages

The decisive final week of the Vuelta a España started Tuesday with the first of two back-to-back sprint stages.

Tuesday’s ride south through Andalucía to Palos de La Frontera packed the tougher parcours of the week’s sprint double-header.

The 181km stage stacked the majority of its 2,100m of climbing into the first 120km before a mostly flat 60km gallop to the Mediterranean coast.

The bright blue Spanish skies were – no surprise – boiling hot. The mercury nudged up to 35 degrees C as the bunch faced another day of brutal conditions.

Burning sun and a bunch sprint

This stage was destined for a sprint from the moment course designers sketched it out on paper.

Visma-Lease a Bike stepped up to ensure that’s exactly how it unfolded – a sixth stage-win was at stake.

The Killer Bees controlled the bunch through the opening hours of the stage. The doomed early break of five riders – including USA’s Kevin Vermaerke – was allowed no more than a three-minute gap.

The typical sprint blueprint was only briefly disrupted soon after the break was caught at around 22km to go.

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe mobbed to the front with Roglič and six of his lieutenants as moderate crosswinds swept across the course.

But after working all day for Brennan and Van Aert, Visma was quick to shut down the threat of Red Bull’s offense.

This was a day for the sprinters.

Visma-Lease a Bike made certain of it.

Another flat finish arrives on stage 17 on Wednesday. Don’t be surprised if Brennan makes “four” a “five.”

Vuelta a España stage 16 results