Brennan is unbeatable in the sprint: fifth La Vuelta victory and seventh for Visma

Matthew Brennan continues to make history in his first grand tour. The British rider from Visma has won stage 17 of the Vuelta a España 2026 in Seville, reaching five stage victories after clearly defeating Jordi Meeus and Magnus Cort in another perfectly prepared sprint by Wout van Aert.

Matthew Brennan wins in Seville and adds his fifth stage in La Vuelta 2026

The flattest day of this Vuelta followed the expected script from very early on. Enzo Paleni and Sinuhé Fernandez formed the breakaway of the day and managed to have nearly five minutes, but Visma | Lease a Bike and Cofidis always kept the race under control.

The pace of the peloton was constant for a good part of the stage, with the wind creating some tension but not causing any significant splits. As they approached Seville, the gap began to fall, sealing the fate of the breakaway.

Paleni held on a bit longer than Fernandez and tried to extend his solo adventure, but he was neutralized about three kilometers from the finish.

Van Aert puts Brennan in the perfect position again

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Visma has the magic sprint formula: Van Aert leads out and Brennan finishes it off to claim his fourth La Vuelta victory

In the final kilometers, Uno-X took the lead with several riders to set up the sprint for Magnus Cort, while Visma reorganized around Brennan.

Wout van Aert had to work even before the final launch to close a late move, but he found the right moment to position the British rider.

The last corner, located just over a kilometer from the finish, left a practically straight finish alongside the Guadalquivir. Uno-X entered well positioned, but when Van Aert accelerated and Brennan came out of his wheel, the race was decided again.

Brennan clearly surpassed Magnus Cort and opened enough of a gap so that none of his rivals could contest the victory. Jordi Meeus managed to climb to second place, and Cort finished third. Alessandro Romele was fourth, and Steffen De Schuyteneer completed the top 5.

With this victory, Matthew Brennan reaches five stage wins in his debut in a grand tour. Visma Lease a Bike also raises its total to seven victories in this Vuelta: five from Brennan and two from Wout van Aert.

Top 10 of stage 17 of La Vuelta a España 2026

1. Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike) — 4:07:15
2. Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) — same time
3. Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility) — same time
4. Alessandro Romele (XDS Astana Team) — same time
5. Steffen De Schuyteneer (Lotto Intermarché) — same time
6. Axel Laurance (Netcompany INEOS) — same time
7. Pau Miquel (Bahrain Victorious) — same time
8. César Macías (Burgos Burpellet BH) — same time
9. Hugo Hofstetter (NSN Cycling Team) — same time
10. Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) — same time

Top 10 of the general classification of La Vuelta a España 2026 after stage 17

1. Enric Mas (Movistar Team) — 60:09:44
2. Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) — +2:06
3. Primož Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) — +2:10
4. Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) — +4:24
5. Oscar Onley (Netcompany INEOS) — +5:44
6. Jakob Omrzel (Bahrain Victorious) — +6:14
7. Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) — +6:49
8. Cristián Rodríguez (XDS Astana Team) — +7:01
9. Clément Berthet (Groupama-FDJ United) — +7:19
10. Sepp Kuss (Visma | Lease a Bike) — +8:55

For the general classification men, it was another day without significant changes. The goal was to get through the last clear opportunity for sprinters without incidents before entering the decisive stretch of La Vuelta.

The race completely changes from now on. This Thursday, the individual time trial will arrive, followed by two mountain stages in which a good part of the general classification will be decided.