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We posted the organizer's report with the results.
Here's the report from stage winner Matthew Brennan's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
Team Visma | Lease a Bike has struck again in La Vuelta. Matthew Brennan sprinted to victory in the fifth stage from Falset to Roquetes, securing his second stage win in this year’s Vuelta. The 173.3-kilometer stage featured a rolling parcours and a tough finale, but thanks to fantastic teamwork, the 21-year-old Brit was able to finish it off perfectly.

Matthew Brennan wins Vuelta stage five. Sirotti photo
“It feels great. We did a lot of work in the build-up to this race. I’ve had the ambition all year to do well here, so the team was really motivated to go for a good result together,” a delighted Brennan said after the finish. “We came here with a strong team with the goal of winning stages. Two victories in five stages is already a really good result for us, but I think we can achieve some more great results here,” Brennan added.
Team Visma | Lease a Bike took responsibility in the peloton from early on. With an eye on the finale, the riders kept the race under control and made sure Brennan remained well protected. As the finish drew closer, the pace increased further and the yellow-and-black formation moved increasingly towards the front. Even when the parcours rose again in the final stages, Brennan remained well positioned. “We have two unbelievable diesels in the team who can just ride all day. At one point, we had some echelons and they did an incredible job to position us well,” Brennan explained afterwards.
In the final kilometers, everything came together. Christophe Laporte and Wout van Aert took the lead and perfectly positioned Brennan for the sprint. With a powerful acceleration, the Brit then finished off the work of his teammates. “In the finale, I had the guys around me the whole time. That gave me a huge amount of support and confidence from the team once again,” Brennan said.
Here's the Vuelta report from Team Netcompany INEOS:
Axel Laurance finished fifth in a reduced bunch sprint after a rapid day’s racing on stage five of La Vuelta a Espana.
Laurance battled to the line as Matthew Brennan finished off a Visma Lease-a-Bike move to secure his second win of the race.
There was no change in the overall standings as Oscar Onley retained fifth and the white jersey.

Oscar Onley at the pre-race teams presention ceremony. Sirotti photo
The stage started with a tough battle to get into the break, with Netcompany INEOS sitting in the peloton with the threat of crosswinds looming.
The escapees failed to gain a significant advantage, which was compounded when the pace ramped up ahead of the first exposed section of the course, with just over 100km to go.
The riders pulled to ensure safe passage as the wind blew and caused splits. However, despite a nervous peloton reacting to any moves, significant splits failed to materialise until the final categorised climb of the day.
Josh Tarling and Ben Turner were key in leading Onley into the base of the climb in front, with Laurance, Carlos Rodriguez and Embret Svestad-Bårdseng.
A host of sprinters were unable to make it back to the reduced bunch, which contested a technical finish to Roquetes, with Laurance finishing fifth.
“The boys really nailed it in every section we wanted to be infront… Ben and Josh did some really big turns today.”
And here’s the Vuelta stage five report from Team Soudal Quick-Step:
An eventful day for Soudal Quick-Step on the Spanish roads.
Alberto Dainese took our team’s second top ten at the season’s last Grand Tour, showing a strong turn of legs in the hectic finish of stage five, which concluded on the streets of the Catalan town of Roquetes.
After four days spent in Monaco and Andorra, the peloton finally arrived in Spain for what turned out to be the first proper bunch sprint of this edition. It was a pretty straightforward day, despite a couple of short hills and a classified climb, a quiet day until the finish, with a few exceptions.

Team Soudal Quick-Step is presented before the start of stage five. Sirotti photo
One of these was Ethan Hayter, who zipped away from the peloton after the first breakaway of the day was brought back, and rode by himself at the front of the race, winning the only intermediate sprint. It was a smart move from the British ITT Champion, who cemented his place in the upper part of the points classification after just five days of racing.
As they approached the business end of the stage, the bunch continued to control things, setting a tempo that didn’t allow any attacks and making sure it would all come down to a mass gallop, which was won by Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike). Dainese finished eighth there, while the general classification remained unchanged.
The team sent me this:
Of the races listed below, the only one we cover is the Bretagne Classic.
Memorial Danny Jonckheere - AUG 26
Rudi Kemna - Team Picnic PostNL coach:
“We’re looking forward to lining-up for what will be the last edition of the Memorial Danny Jonckheere. As part of the U23 Road Series, we once again team up with Dutch Food Valley Cycling Team for the race. Parcours wise the race is predominantly flat but with a technical lap circuit then it is no guarantee the race ends in a sprint finish, as we’ve seen smaller groups and solo riders fight it out for the win in recent years. We need to ride well as a team and be sharp throughout the day to maximise our chances of a result.”
Line-up:
Milan de Ceuster (BEL)
Rick Versloot (NLD)
Thijs Vrij (NLD)
Classic Lorient Agglomération - AUG 29
Davide Gani - Team Picnic PostNL coach:
"Classic Lorient is a demanding race where many different factors can shape the outcome. The narrow roads, succession of short climbs and potentially challenging weather conditions can make for a tough day, while the length of the race adds another element of endurance. All of this creates a race where the strongest riders are likely to come to the fore. We head to the start with a team built to race aggressively, so our main goal will be to be present in the breakaways throughout both the first and second parts of the race. Without a designated finisher, we have the freedom to use the strength of the team and aim to have as many riders as possible involved in the action. From there, we’ll look to make the most of our opportunities and fight for the best possible result."
Line-up:
Eleonora Ciabocco (ITA)
Ella Heremans (BEL)
Daniela Hezinová (CZE)
Audrey De Keersmaeker (BEL)
Dilyxine Miermont (FRA)
Becky Storrie (GBR)
Bretagne Classic - AUG 30:
Rudi Kemna - Team Picnic PostNL coach:
"Bretagne Classic is always a demanding race, with a combination of short climbs, technical roads and a long day in the saddle that can make for an unpredictable finale. We’ve seen the race play out in different ways in recent years, from attacking groups staying clear to a reduced sprint for the win. With local legend Warren in our line-up, we have someone who knows the roads and the race extremely well, and his experience will be valuable in helping us read the key moments. With Frits and Pavel, we have two strong cards to play in the finale, giving us options for different scenarios. Our goal will be to stay attentive throughout the race, and make the most of our opportunities when the race opens up.”

Warren Barguil before the start of the 2024 Tour of Lombardy. Sirotti photo
Line-up:
Warren Barguil (FRA)
Julius van den Berg (NLD)
Frits Biesterbos (NLD)
Pavel Bittner (CZE)
Frank van den Broek (NLD)
Alexy Faure-Prost (FRA)
James Knox (GBR)
Ronde van de Achterhoek - AUG 30
Albert Timmer - Team Picnic PostNL coach:
“A race we have fond memories of having won last year’s edition, we’re excited to be back on the start line of the Ronde van de Achterhoek with our Development program. Taking on several gravel and non-asphalt road sectors, the race resembles a bit of a spring classic in the late summer and this year will be no different. The weather can play a large part in the outcome of the day, and we’ve seen some rain-soaked and wind-swept editions in the past. The current forecast looks like we might get some of those challenging conditions this year, so we need to make sure we ride smartly as a group and communicate with each other to make sure we are in the right positions as the race begins to unfold. From there we will look to play our cards in the final.”
Line-up:
Jacob Bush (GBR)
Ko Molenaar (NLD)
Alexandre Trouvain (FRA)
Ulrik Tvedt (NOR)
Rick Versloot (NLD)
Mees Vlot (NLD)
Thijs Vrij (NLD)