Matthew Brennan thanked his teammates after powering to an totally dominant sprint win at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. There was no contest once he opened the legs in the finale. But he also said hehe had little left to do in the finale.
“I was nervous all day after yesterday’s heavy crash,” the 19-year-old said after, as reported by Wielerflits. “The guys gave everything to bring me back. Pietro Mattio had to ride really fast. From the Kluisberg I was able to be part of the race.”
The Visma-Lease a Bike rider said the team’s intent was clear from distance. “We wanted to make the race tough, take the initiative, because that would be the best thing for us.”
In the sprint, Brennan was delivered perfectly to the line. “Everyone was great. Until the last two kilometres, everyone was still there. Christophe Laporte did a great lead-out. I did the easy work, only had to ride a hundred meters in the lead. I can’t thank them enough.”
The victory carried extra meaning. “As a junior, I saw the pros a few times in this race. Now I’ve won it myself, that’s special.”
Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne was Day 2 of Opening Weekend. Although the pros have definitely been racing for a while now — in the Middle East, Spain, and Australia — the Belgian race traditionally marks the beginning of the Classics season.
Strade Bianche, Milano-Sanremo, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix… man, there’s a lot coming up. There’s also all kinds of Canadians racing in all of them. So you know darn well that Canadian Cycling Magazine will be there for it.
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