Not many young riders win their first race as an U23. Matthew Brennan has done just that. The first time Rayner Foundation riders first race of the season saw him win the Umag Trophy in Croatia as he out sprinted the peloton.
Matt has come through the FHMAS Junior Team run by Giles Pidcock and was able to benefit from several trips to Europe last season with the assistance of the Rayner Foundation Gateway Scheme. Several wins including two stage races showed where his talent was leading him. Matt was snapped up by the Team Visma Lease-A-Bike Dutch squad for their development team over the winter.
Winning is important but the team are also developing a holistic approach with the emphasis on learning as well as winning: “the team have worked really hard over the winter so to be paid off with a result is always nice”. He added that teamwork is at the heart of the squad “we always discuss our ideas and work on a plan together. We really focus as racing as a team.” As it’s is first race at U23 level, he couldn’t really compare it with previous races although he has a few coming up, starting this weekend in France. He commented: “it’s really nice to be involved with the best team in the world at the moment. It really helps to set your ambitions high and you have the best staff to support you on your way to those goals”. He admits that language isn’t a barrier but would like to learn a second language while he’s there. His next race is the Olympias Tour, a stage race starting in Assen, the Netherlands, in four weeks time, before going to the Circuit des Ardennes and Liege-Bastogne-Liege
Thank you to Matty for taking time out to give this interview after the race. Thanks also to Mike Underwood for talking to Matty
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More information on the team website https://www.teamvismaleaseabike.com/race-report/news/matthew-brennan-debuts-with-a-win-team-visma-lease-a-bike-development-ready-for-2024/