It wasn’t simply a case of getting caught up in post-stage euphoria. Brennan revisited the idea when he met with the written press after the podium ceremony, making clear that this is something he has already thought about in some detail.
“I’ve seen the first stage, and also the second stage,” Brennan said. “The third stage, I think, will also be actually quite a hard stage, so there are definitely opportunities to try to do something within my strengths.”
Although Brennan is still only 21 years old, he is no wide-eyed neophyte, and he described this Vuelta as “a nice stepping stone” towards bigger goals. Next year’s Tour is not some far-off dream, but the next logical step in his progression after rattling off four wins in his first Grand Tour and notching up 23 wins across his first two seasons as a professional.
Even so, Brennan knows that being among the fastest finishers in the peloton isn’t enough to guarantee a spot in a Visma | Lease a Bike Tour squad built around trying to score overall victory with Jonas Vingegaard.