British starlet Matthew Brennan made history by winning stage 17 of the Vuelta a Espana, becoming the youngest rider ever to secure five stages in a grand tour and the youngest to clinch back-to-back Vuelta stages—all in his debut three-week race.

He joins the ranks of decorated sprinter Marcel Kittel, who achieved five stage wins in the 2017 edition, and becomes only the second British rider to win four or more stages in the same grand tour, following the legendary Mark Cavendish.

On the flattest stage of this year’s race, a 185km run from Dos Hermanas to Seville, Brennan was the heavy favorite. Instead of relying on a leadout from his Visma-Lease a Bike team, he adeptly navigated the closing kilometers, launching his sprint from the wheel of Magnus Cort, who finished third. Jordi Meeus, a former winner on the Champs-Elysees at the Tour de France, took second place, a clear bike-length behind the 21-year-old Brennan.

Brennan expressed his excitement, stating: “It's fantastic for me. We're a long way into this race now and today was the day where we could make history in our team. In terms of the win again, it's really cool to do that. We did everything in our power to get there.”

This victory marked the seventh stage win for Visma-Lease a Bike in this Vuelta, the most the team has ever achieved in a grand tour, with Van Aert contributing two wins.

There were no changes to the overall standings, as the race favorites crossed the line in the peloton ahead of a crucial three days in the general classification battle. The top 10 could see significant changes after Thursday’s stage 18, featuring a 32km individual time trial from El Puerto de Santa Maria to Jerez de la Frontera, presenting the biggest challenge yet to Enric Mas’ overall lead.