Vuelta a España: Matthew Brennan makes it four with another scorching sprint to win stage 16

Matthew Brennan used a picture-perfect lead-out by Visma-Lease a Bike teammate Wout van Aert to win stage 16 of the Vuelta a España, the British rider adding a fourth individual stage win at this Grand Tour.

Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) went second and Vito Braet (Lotto-Intermarche) took third in the bunch sprint on the Atlantic coast in La Rabida.

Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) grabbed fourth ahead of Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility), the latter having worked back into the front of the peloton after being caught behind a split with 20km to go.

Visma worked at the front most of the day and tracked down a five-rider breakaway with 25km to go. Once on the long, wide road to the finish and cruising through a final left-hand bend with 600 metres to go, Van Aert wound up and sprang to the front to lead out Brennan to the line with open space for the win.

"It's unbelievable, four victories here. The plan was for one, and as a team, we're now on six, I think, I've lost count," Brennan said after the finish.

"We've won so many stages that we've gone for. We've really committed to the plan that we have. You've seen the boys all day today. If you've been watching at home, they just been pushing so much wind, and to finish off like that, with Wout bringing me across the line, basically in a perfect place in such a chaotic final, it was perfect.

"I really trusted Wout and followed his wheel all the way, and yeah, it's incredible that he can bring you in [position] in such a chaotic race."

Enric Mas was ushered to the finish by his Movistar teammates and finished safely in the field to hold the red jersey, with his GC rivals close by and no changes in the overall standings.

Sprinters survive challenge by breakaway and late split in field

Bright blue skies, light winds and temperatures of 32°C in Cortegana were a warm reception after the rest day, and the sprint teams returned to do battle against Visma-Lease a Bike for the reward in La Rábida, which was all downhill in the final 100km of the 181.1km route.

Five riders struck out from the peloton in the opening 20km and became the break of the day: Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ United), Jasha Sütterlin (Jayco AlUla), Kevin Vermaerke (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Simon Dalby (Uno-X Mobility) and Roland Thalmann (Tudor Pro Cycling).

All five were seeking a first victory of the season, but the allure of a flat stage with great expectations for a sprint finish saw Visma-Lease a Bike controlling the pace of the peloton, with Movistar tucked behind the yellow-and-black crew with the red leader's jersey on the shoulders of Mas.

The opening 80km rolled through the Huelva province, south-west of Sevilla, and the breakaway was allowed to stay away, the ambitious group getting a 2:45 advantage but no more.

Soon after the 100km to go mark, Timo Roosen (Picnic-PostNL) stepped off his bike and into the team car, as the rest day did not allow him enough time to recover from a crash he suffered in the second week.

The five scooped points at the intermediate sprint in Villarasa. With 68km to go, the gap to the peloton began to drop, now under one minute, unlike the temperature, which had tipped to 36°C. No clouds and no tree-lined roads made for a long day.

Visma continued to set the pace of the peloton, joined by Cofidis, as the race edged closer to the coast, Wout van Aert dropping to the team car to take on water bottles for his teammates. That scenario was replicated by all teams.

Pushing up one of the few rises on the course with 35km to go, the breakaway held a 33-second gap. Arriving at Palos de la Frontera, a glimpse of the Tinto river signaled the final 26km.

On a narrow, twisting street in the city, several riders crashed in the peloton, including Ivo Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility). The UAE rider was slow to get back on his bike, and Johannessen had got back riding as well, joined by teammate Magnus Cort who was held up by the crash. The Uno-X duo went to work to make up time from a split that formed in the peloton.

Once back onto wider roads sweeping to the Atlantic coast, the catch of the breakaway was made by the sprint teams. Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe went to work at the front for a few kilometres, then Visma returned.

Crosswinds from the ocean were noticeable, though not overpowering, once the most southern point of the route went through Mazagón and a reverse of direction was made on the coast for the final 11km to the finish.

With 13km to go, Finlay Pickering (Jayco AlUla) dropped to the back of the peloton to make a bike change. He, and the riders who had been split from the front group, tagged back as one group as the sprint teams had not yet ratcheted the pace.

The peloton spread across the width of the road with 7.5km to go, Soudal-QuickStep, Vismal-Lease a Bike, Movistar and Netcompany Ineos represented front and centre.

Once through a roundabout with 4.5km to go, the pace increased. Uno-X Mobility moved to the front along the right side next to Visma, Cort visible after rejoining the peloton, as more road furniture created a wave of horizontal movements.

Visma never relented with the pacemaking on a few sweeping corners as the final kilometre approached, with the points classification leader Wout van Aert setting up his teammate once again for the team's sixth victory of the Vuelta so far.

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