TakeVuelta2 hours ago
Brennan won stage 17 into Sevilla for his fifth stage victory of this Vuelta. Four stages was a debut record on its own; five puts him in a different conversation entirely — the shortlist of riders who've won five stages in a single Grand Tour this century includes only Cavendish, Cipollini, Petacchi, Kittel, Degenkolb, Vingegaard and Pogačar, and every one of them got there as an established pro, not a neo-pro.
The debut-record framing made sense at four stages — that comparison was to Gaviria and Pogačar as fellow first-timers. Five stages erases the "debutant" qualifier from the sentence altogether; this is now just the list of five-stage winners in a Grand Tour, full stop, and Brennan is on it at 21. It also pushes Visma-Lease a Bike to seven combined stage wins between Brennan and Wout van Aert at this Vuelta, beating the team's own Grand Tour record of six from the 2022 Tour de France.
Sources
Vuelta a España: Matthew Brennan storms to an extraordinary fifth victory on stage 17 after a furious sprint into SevillaVuelta a España stage 17 LIVE: Matthew Brennan seeking fifth stage win on another day for the sprintersVuelta a España stage 17 preview: Can Brennan claim win number five and make Visma history?