Star Metro - Brennan claims third Vuelta victory in stage 11 sprint

Visma-Lease a Bike's Brennan, 21, was followed by Bryan Coquard and Jordi Meeus, while overall leader Enric Mas retained the red jersey.

British rider Brennan was led out by Wout van Aert and held up three fingers after crossing the line to celebrate his victories in what has been a dream first Grand Tour.

"We took the initiative today again, and the boys pulled as hard as they could," said Brennan.

"The boys did a fantastic job within that last 10km to really keep us in the right place, in the right position, out of trouble. And we crossed the line first, so we're super happy."

Lidl-Trek's Mads Pedersen pulled out of the race before the stage because of illness, further strengthening Brennan's already high chances of claiming victory in Lorca.

It was a largely flat stage running 153.8 kilometres from Cartagena, earmarked as a day for the sprinters.

Ethan Hayter was among four riders who formed an early breakaway, which was caught with around 90km remaining.

The peloton began to fragment on the day's one real climb, the Morron de Totana 30km from the end.

All of the main sprint contenders stayed as part of a reduced bunch, along with Mas, with Visma-Lease a Bike, Pinarello Q36.5 and Uno-X Mobility driving the peloton at a fast pace into the final kilometres.

Negotiating the streets of Lorca was tricky with a series of tight corners and a lot of road furniture, but Brennan was well placed coming into the final U-turn for the dart to the finish line.

Brennan held off French cyclist Coquard without fuss while Meeus edged Magnus Cort, with Van Aert fifth.

Youngster Brennan said he was grateful to Van Aert and his other team-mates for helping him succeed.

"I'm with a team full of massive champions. You've got guys who have been on podiums in Grand Tours and won them as well, and you've also got guys who have won big classics in some huge races," he continued.

"The fact that they go for me each time is an amazing opportunity, and I'm really thankful that they go full gas for me."

In Thursday's 12th stage riders travel 166.6km in the mountains from Vera, facing five categorised climbs, including the double climb of Velefique and the Calar Alto summit finish.

A.Bergeron--SMC