Great Britain’s Matt Brennan sprinted to victory in the second stage of the Vuelta a Espana on Sunday as overall race favourite Tadej Pogacar held on to the leader’s red jersey.
The 21-year-old Brennan, riding his first Grand Tour, pounced in the final kilometres of the 214km ride from Monaco to Manosque to claim his first stage win.
It looked like Brennan’s team-mate Wout van Aert and Tour de France winner Pogacar would fight for victory.
However, in the final kilometres Van Aert was caught and Pogacar opted to conserve energy, giving Brennan his chance.
“We started off with the ambition of Wout trying to get in the red jersey today,” said Englishman Brennan, who joined Team Visma-Lease a Bike’s world tour squad in 2025.
“We had that plan and then I was always going to be in the background for the sprint in case that plan [didn’t work] … and that’s exactly what happened.
“Hopefully it’s not the last one, but it’s nice.”
Spaniard Pau Miquel Delgado of Bahrain Victorious came second, as UAE Team Emirates’ Pogacar crossed the line in third.
Pogacar remains top of the general classification after winning Saturday’s opening time trial by 0.09 seconds and will take a nine-second lead over second-place Van Aert into Monday’s third stage.
Brennan moves up to third in the overall standings, 10 seconds behind Pogacar.
Britain’s Ethan Hayter, who was pipped in the opening stage time trial by Pogacar, was part of a small early breakaway and looked set to take the overall lead after winning the final intermediate sprint for six bonus seconds.
However, the 27-year-old fell behind and crossed the line 31 seconds off the lead, leaving him 13th in the general classification.
After finishing third in the opening stage just eight days after his brother Finlay lost his life in a crash, Britain’s Josh Tarling came 125th.
Monday takes the riders into the French Pyrenees with a mountain finish in Font Romeu near the Spanish border.
James Brennan (GB/Team Visma-Lease a Bike) 4 hours, 47mins 47secs
Pau Miquel Delgado (Esp/Bahrain Victorious) same time
Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) same time
Mads Pedersen (Den/Lidl-Trek) same time
Hugo Hofstetter (Fra/NSN Cycling Team) same time
Tobias Johannessen (Nor/Uno-X Mobility) same time
Finn Fisher-Black (NZ/Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) same time
Axel Laurance (Fra/Netcompany Ineos Cycling Team) same time
Oscar Onley (GB/Netcompany Ineos Cycling Team) same time
Orluis Alberto Aular sanabria (Ven/Movistar Team) same time
Vuelta a Espana general classification after stage two
Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 4 hours 58mins 40secs
Wout van Aert (Bel/Team Visma-Lease a Bike) +9secs
James Brennan (GB/Team Visma-Lease a Bike) +10secs
Leo Bisiaux (Fra/Decathlon-CMA CGM) +12secs
Finn Fisher-Black (NZ/Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +14secs
Stefan Kung (Sui/Tudor Pro Cycling Team) +18secs
Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) same time
Mads Pedersen (Den/Lidl-Trek) +20secs
Primoz Roglic (Slo/Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe +26secs
Jordan Labrosse (Fra/Decathlon-CMA CGM) +27secs
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