No British rider has won more races this season than teenager Matthew Brennan, who earned his sixth victory of 2025 on Wednesday at the Tour de Romandie.
The 19-year-old Visma-Lease a Bike rider, in his first season as a pro, won the sprint on stage one of the six-day WorldTour race, accelerating comfortably ahead of his rivals, taking the leader’s jersey in the process.
The victory came a month after the Brit stunned the pack at the Volta a Catalunya, winning two stages, despite being the second youngest rider in the field.
“It was very chaotic,” Brennan said of his latest success in Switzerland. “I think once we got over the climb, we knew we had good legs and we could pull towards the end. I think the guys did a really nice position, pulling me into the early parts and keeping me out of trouble. Coming into the final, I just managed to follow some wheels.
“I actually got a bit further ahead than I thought I would, but in those moments you just have to react to the situation and just keep going.”
Born in Darlington in 2005, the teenager joined Visma-Lease a Bike’s development arm last season, having come through the UK-based Fensham Howes-MAS Design junior team.
Brennan graduated to the WorldTour squad this year, and after just seven races as a pro, was called up for his Paris-Roubaix debut, his sports director Grischa Niermann explaining he had “amazed” the team staff “several times”.
Now, with his win tally growing, where does Brennan see his limits? “I don’t know. I’m not even sure my coaches know,” he said. “We’re still searching for them, so it’s really an exciting time right now.
“Coming to this race, we really wanted to try and achieve something. To finally come out with it, I think for me, for the team, everyone involved is so happy.”
Brennan’s victory at the Tour de Romandie saw him lift the leader’s jersey off the shoulders of fellow Brit Sam Watson (Ineos Grenadiers), who won Tuesday’s opening prologue.
Despite leading the race, the 19-year-old explained his role will be to support his Visma-Lease a Bike team-mate Jørgen Nordhagen in the general classification, and aim for another stage win. “I look forward to the next few days,” he said.
Brennan was not the only British winner on Wednesday. Twenty-year-old Noah Hobbs won his second stage of France’s Tour de Bretagne, representing EF Education-EasyPost’s development squad, EF Education-Aevolo.
