As it happened: flat stage 17 of the Vuelta a España ends in another bunch sprint

Hello and welcome to stage 17 of the Vuelta a España!

Following yesterday's bunch sprint finish, today is set to be an even more nailed-on bunch sprint. It's the flattest road stage of the entire race, with not a single climb to be taken on all day.

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Yesterday was another win for Matthew Brennan, as most of the bunch sprints at this Vuelta have been. The British parody profited off an exceptional lead out from Wout van Aert to hold off Bryan Coquard in Palos de la Frontera.

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It's another scorcher of a day at the Vuelta, with temperatures once again exceeding 30 degrees, but riders were making light of the situation by playing with water pistols at the start.

The riders have been in the neutralised zone for some time now, but the official start has been delayed as Jan Hirt makes his way back to the group following a mechanical. They will be racing shortly.

OFFICIAL START

And they're off! Paleni, Dversnes and Fernández are the first riders to attack, and already have a gap approaching 30 seconds. Given the flat parcours, and seeming hopelessness of the break's chance of survival, this might already be the break of the day.

These are the three riders who escaped up the road, but they've now become two, as Dversnes has dropped. While Paleni and Fernández are over a minute up in the peloton, Dversnes is caught somewhere between in no-man's land.

The scene at the start today in Dos Hermanas.

170KM TO GO

Dversnes is back in the peloton, while Fernández and Paleni have a lead of over three minutes on a disinterested peloton. It's unclear why Dversnes dropped back, but what is known is that Fernández and Paleni love a breakaway, and will relish a day riding out the front that most would dread.

There's a relaxed atmosphere in the peloton, which has allowed the gap to the two leaders to grow to almost four minutes. The parcours is so flat and uncomplicated today that they are confidant in bringing a big gap back before the finish.

There's been a surprising development in the peloton, as six riders have attacked out of it. They have a considerable 4:30 to make up if they're to join the two leaders, so it's difficult to fathom what their plan is exactly, but it's sure livened things up - at least, until a few moments ago, when they were brought back.

It was actually nine riders rather than six who counter-attacked, and was a real ragtag bunch. Sprinter Bryan Coquard was a part of it, as was Mas’ teammate Raúl García Pierna and stage favourite Brennan’s teammate Steven Kruijswijk, plus Embret Svestad-Bårdseng, Mathias Sunekær Norsgaard, Milan Vader, Martin Tjøtta, Clément Alleno and Sergio Samitier.

150KM TO GO

The race has settled down again, the break being allowed a gap just shy of four minutes. It's serene in the peloton, where they are taking it relatively easy in the heat.

The GC riders are having an uncomplicated day hidden in the peloton, including Primož Roglič, pictured here. His big day comes tomorrow, when he’ll finally get to exercise his time trialling muscles in a bid to make a move on the red jersey, which he still hopes to win. Before the race started, he was not confident of winning what would be a record-breaking fifth Vuelta overall title - now, it looks like a very real possibility.

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Also safely in the peloton is Enric Mas, who is moving ever-closer to what would be a career-defining victory. The Spaniard is on the brink of ending what has been a career’s worth of second-place finishes and finally taking the big prize of overall victory at the Vuelta. Today should be a simple defence of the red jersey; tomorrow’s time trial, however, will be another matter.

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130KM TO GO

3:25 is the gap between the breakaway duo of Paleni and Fernández to the peloton, which is being led by Visma-Lease a Bike and Cofidis. They're working for Brennan and Coquard, the men who have been first and second respectively in both of the last two bunch sprints.

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Yesterday, Matthew Brennan became the first rider to win four stages on Grand Tour debut since Fernando Gaviria in 2017. Today, he's the hot favourite to make it five. The young Brit has been imperious in the sprints all race, and has confirmed his enormous talent. So good is his form, and such is the high he is riding, that he has set his sights on being selected for Visma-Lease a Bike's Tour de France team for next year, with his eye on wearing the yellow jersey on home British road.

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120KM TO GO

As Visma and Cofidis continue to set the pace in the peloton, the gap has come down a little, to three minutes. It's hard to see this culminating in anything other than a bunch sprint.

As well as taking two stage wins for himself, Wout van Aert has performed exceptionally as a lead-out man for Brennan this Vuelta, and is a big reason he is enjoying such success. Unless Visma-Lease a Bike have a surprise in store (as at stage 15 when they misled the opposition off their scent by feigning to ride for a bunch sprint before Van Aert attacked), he'll likely be tasked with being Brennan's last lead-out man once again.

Van Aert’s form has raised eyebrows in the cycling world, especially ahead of the World Championships, with some saying that he looks as good as he did a few years ago during his peak. While collecting stage wins for himself and his team at the Vuelta is the immediate goal, he’s also riding here with an eye on building form just in time to win what would be a career-first rainbow jersey.

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100KM TO GO

Visma and Cofidis are keeping the break very much under control. With 100km still to ride, they have them at 3:20. There's been no real drama yet today - but there's still a very long way to go until the finish in Sevilla.

There's a bit of a stand-off in the peloton. Visma and Cofidis have stopped chasing, and no other teams have stepped in to take their place. As a result, the break's lead has ballooned up to almost five minutes. That's an unusual move from Visma, given how they are the hot favourites for the stage win, and no other team wants to give them a free ride to the finish.

90KM TO GO

Visma are back riding at the front now, but not before the gap has grown to 5:20. That's given some hope to the breakaway duo, who will be encouraged by the big margin they now have.

Normality has resumed, with Steven Kruijswijk going back to his usual role of pulling the peloton for Visma-Lease a Bike. The Dutchman has put in a serious shift throughout this Vuelta, the last Grand Tour of his whole career, and is epitomising what has made him such an invaluable domestique in this final phase of his career.

80KM TO GO

Visma are eating into the break's lead again, pulling back some of the time they conceded by bringing them back to 4:20. They've made it harder for themselves, but still have the stage under control.

Cofidis has helped with the pace-setting earlier, but did not step in when Visma called everyone's bluff and stopped pulling earlier. As good as Coquard has been in the sprints, he hasn't looked like coming close to beating Brennan in the last couple of finishes, and he's scratching his head as to how to get the better of him.

'It's not like we can block him off with one kilometre to go' - Runner-up Bryan Coquard recognises Matthew Brennan poses major challenge in Vuelta a España sprints

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The pace is up in the peloton, with Steven Kruijswijk stringing it out in one long line. As a result, the gap has come well down to 2:20. It might only be the one rider doing all the work, but he's outpacing the two leaders comfortably at the moment.

60KM TO GO

The gap continues to plummet, now down to 1:50. It's no longer Visma at the front, though, as other teams mass towards the front, including Red Bull and EF. They're riding attentively out of fear of the wind, keeping their GC favourites safe in the unlikely event that the race splits in the mild conditions as they ride through exposed roads.

Whatever happens today, this has already been one of the all-time great Grand Tours debut by Matthew Brennan. But if he can win yet again today, he’ll join an elite company of riders to have taken five or more stages at a single Grand Tour, which, in the 21st century, includes only a select few riders - Mark Cavendish, Mario Cipollini, Alessandro Pettachi, Marcel Kittel, John Degenkolb, Jonas Vingegaard, and, of course, Tadej Pogačar.

We have a split in the peloton! The wins is having some of an affect, with the pace up in the peloton as the GC teams ride at the front.

There's no real sense of urgency though, with no teams wanting to commit to pressing on, and no favourites having been caught out. It looks like everything is going to come back together.

Calm has returned to the race, with the splits having been undone and Kruijswijk back on the front of the peloton setting a controlling pace. The break's lead has grown a little too, back up to 1:50 - hope lives on.

Two years ago, the last time the Vuelta visited Sevilla, Wout van Aert was out-sprinted by Pavel Bittner to miss out on the stage win. Visma-Lease a Bike are on a mission to put that right this time, though the Belgian's job this time will be to lead out Brennan rather than sprint for himself.

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30KM TO GO

Paleni and Fernández have left something in reserve, and are riding hard to increase their lead a little, to 2:05. It's still Visma doing the work in the peloton, though the indefatigable Kruijswijk is now getting assistance from some teammates.

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Visma and the peloton are being made to work to bring this two-man break back. With 22km to go, they still have 1:30 to make up. That should be bridgeable, but Paleni and Fernández still have hope they can cling on to as we enter the endgame of the stage.

INTERMEDIATE SPRINT

1:14 after the leading duo moved through it, Coquard wins the sprint in the peloton at the intermediate sprint, ahead of Van Aert. The Frenchman was resolved not to simply let the green jersey continue to pick up points uncontested, but he has a huge amount of ground to make up if he wants to overtake him in the classification.

Paleni and Fernández's day-long truce is at an end, ad the former has dropped the visibly tiring latter. That's going to make it very difficult for Paleni to survive, but he still has one minute to play with with 13km left to ride.

10KM TO GO

Fernández is back in the peloton, but Paleni continues to fight, holding a lead of 40 seconds. Visma and Cofidis are the teams leading the chase, preparing for a bunch sprint with their man Brennan and Coquard - a scenario that still seems the most likely.

Paleni's lead has dipped below 30 seconds with 7.5km to go. The Italian is now heavily outnumbered as multiple riders from Visma and Cofidis take turns at the front of the peloton.

5KM TO GO

The GC teams, including EF, had taken over at the front to protect their leaders, but now they're through the 5km to go safety zone, the sprinters' teams are back on the front and readying their lead outs. Paleni is only 7 seconds ahead, and about to be caught.

Attacks from the peloton! Some riders have taken a chance on trying to catch out the sprinters, using the twists and turns as they enter urban roads. Van Aert has neutralised it though, and the peloton is still together with 3km to go, Paleni finally caught.

1KM TO GO

Uno-X Mobility are leading the peloton, with multiple riders all riding with Cort on their wheel. At the moment, their leading the battle for positioning ahead of Visma-Lease a Bike.

MATTHEW BRENNAN WINS

It's five for Matthew Brennan! Uno-X Mobility led the sprint, dropping Cort off, but Brennan managed to come round the Dane to take the win, just about holding off a charge from Meeus, who was second.

It was a closer run thing than his previous four victories, but Brennan was still comfortably the fastest in the finale, and continues his imperious form for a fifth stage win of the race.

Brennan’s remarkable Vuelta continues to astound more and more. By winning today, he becomes the first rider to win five bunch sprint stages at a Grand Tour since Marcel Kittel at the 2017 Tour de France.

It's another day successfully negotiated in red for Enric Mas, who is getting closer and closer to the overall win.

As well as a history making race for Matthew Brennan, his Visma-Lease a Bike are also breaking records. Between them, he and Van Aert have delivered the team seven stage wins, which is the most in the team’s history at a single Grand Tour, and matches UAE’s total from last year. They only need one more to have the biggest haul of any team since Alessandro Petacchi’s Fassa Bortolo team from the 2004 Giro.

Thanks for joining us today! In truth it wasn't the most exciting stage, at least until the thrilling sprint finish, but tomorrow is guaranteed to be. It's the time trial, the stage the GC contenders have been waiting for; some with fear, and others, especially Primož Roglič, with relish. It will be one of the decisive days of this Vuelta, so be sure not to miss a moment and follow along with all the action with us again.