Matthew Brennan may not carry himself like a rising superstar, but the 19-year-old Brit has quickly become one of the standout performers of the 2025 cycling season. Calm and focused, Brennan’s humble approach contrasts sharply with his impressive list of achievements in just a few short months.
“It’s gone well so far,” Brennan reflects modestly. “I’ve been enjoying it. That’s the main thing in this sport – if you don’t enjoy it then it becomes quite a hard job.”
Brennan’s breakout moment came with two back-to-back wins in March, racing for Visma-Lease a Bike’s development squad. Just weeks later, he clinched his first professional victory at the Grand Prix de Denain.
“I went in with the expectation of just seeing what happens,” he says of that race. “We made a joke and said shall we make it three out of three?” The answer was yes—and the cycling community took notice of the teenager from Darlington.
Brennan’s journey began with the Fensham Howes-MAS Design team, overseen by Giles Pidcock, father of Tour de France contender Tom Pidcock. In 2024, he joined Visma-Lease a Bike’s development team and made his elite debut at only 18.
He quickly found success, winning two one-day races in Croatia and earning a three-year contract with the senior squad beginning in 2025.
Brennan’s ambition extended beyond a single pro win—he set his sights on a WorldTour victory. That goal materialized unexpectedly at the Volta a Catalunya, where he stepped in last-minute for two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard.
Despite the pressure, Brennan thrived. On a rain-soaked, punishing day in Sant Feliu de Guíxols, he chased down a breakaway by Tibor del Grosso and held off Alpecin-Deceuninck sprinter Kaden Groves to secure victory.
“I still watch it back now and think, how on earth did I do that?!” Brennan admits. “It was a really cool way to win your first ever WorldTour victory.”
Brennan had one key advantage: familiarity. He trained in Girona over the winter and knew the tricky Spanish terrain. “I said to the [sports director], this is going to be a crazy finish because of all the corners, and I’d rather be at the front than at the back,” he recalls.
Though narrowly beaten by fellow Brit Ethan Hayter in a sprint on stage two, Brennan bounced back on stage five with another win, thanks to strong teamwork and precise execution. “You’re four days in and you’ve got two victories, so it wasn’t too bad,” he says with classic understatement.
Despite his casual tone, Brennan’s tally has now reached seven victories. He describes his incredible form as “nice” and the victories as “cool,” yet he openly acknowledges being surprised at his own level of performance.
He approaches every race with quiet determination. “I don’t go into a race saying I can’t win,” he explains. “I go in saying, it’s hard to win this, but it’s possible.”
If a race doesn’t go his way, he and race coach Jesper Morkov analyze the performance and adjust for the future—an attitude that has clearly paid off.
Just days after this conversation, Brennan took another win at Rund um Köln, a race he had finished sixth in the previous year. The development team at Visma-Lease a Bike is carefully managing his race calendar to avoid burnout, with upcoming goals including the Tour of Norway, Dwars door het Hageland, and the British National Championships.
He recalls last year’s nationals: “I thought it was the hardest bike race in the world,” though his endurance has certainly increased since then.
Brennan points to Paris-Roubaix as his favorite race of the season. Though he finished 44th, the experience left a deep impression. “I felt like I came off that race and couldn’t have done anything more. Then you have all the crowds—it’s crazy,” he says. “When you’re dropped and still fighting to get to the velodrome with thousands cheering, it’s something quite special.”
With a varied calendar behind him, Brennan isn’t rushing to specialize. “It’s more just leaning towards where the strengths are,” he explains. “And if we can build on the weaknesses, even better.”
He sees potential in the Classics—hard, gritty races where his resilience can make the difference. “These races that are really hard and heavy where maybe pure sprinters can’t get round, I can survive quite well and still have that acceleration at the end.”
As media hype builds, Brennan remains grounded. He distances himself from comparisons with established stars like Mark Cavendish or Wout van Aert.
“They’re searching for a storyline,” he acknowledges. “It’s fair enough, they’ve got to do their job. But in the real world, someone who knows cycling properly would go, we’re very different people.”
He adds, “It’s nice that people want to compare me to these top-level riders, don’t get me wrong, but we are very different and that’s something that needs to be recognized.”
Though focused on the present, Brennan isn’t afraid to talk about the future. A former junior world champion on the track, he’s open to returning to velodrome racing, possibly with an eye on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
And then there’s the 2027 Tour de France, set to begin on British soil—a tantalizing goal for any UK rider.
“If I’m ready I’d like to go,” he says. “If I’m not, I would rather take it step by step and be in the right place. Even some of the best riders really struggle to find the balance in the second half of the year when they might be tired from the Tour.”
That long view characterizes Brennan’s entire approach. He’s not chasing fame or headlines. Instead, he’s focused on growing, racing smart, and enjoying the ride.
“If I do turn up,” he says with a grin, “I’d love to take the yellow jersey on day one.”
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