Cycling-Briton Brennan triumphs in Vuelta stage 11, Mas retains red

Briton Matthew Brennan prevailed in a ​chaotic sprint for the finish line ​in stage 11 of the ‌Vuelta ​a Espana on Wednesday, as the 21-year-old Visma-Lease a Bike rider claimed his third stage win in his maiden ‌Grand Tour.

Brennan, who also won the second and fourth stages, beat Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) and Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) in a photo finish in Lorca. Red jersey holder Enric Mas (Movistar) retained ‌his overall lead, remaining a minute and 18 seconds ahead of four-times winner ‌Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) as nearly the entire peloton crossed the finish line together after the 153.8-km ride from Cartagena.

Points classification leader Wout van Aert expertly led teammate Brennan to the front after the ⁠final turn ​and he overtook ⁠Coquard and crossed the finish line with his hand raised in victory. UAE Team Emirates-XRG, whose leader Tadej ⁠Pogacar withdrew from the race after a crash in stage eight, could have lost another ​rider when Kevin Vermaerke went down in a crash with Hamish McKenzie (Jayco ⁠AlUla).

American Vermaerke got back up, however, and carried on as the peloton shut down all the early ⁠attacks, ​reaching speeds of nearly 46 km per hour going into the last 10 kilometres of the mostly flat stage. The peloton was together amid a frantic battle ⁠to stay ahead going into the final kilometre, in which the Visma-Lease a Bike ⁠riders successfully collaborated ⁠to set up Brennan's dash to the finish line.

The race returns to the mountains on Thursday with a 166.6-km ride from ‌Vera to ‌Calar Alto.