In the third stage of the Swiss stage race, four riders broke away early and built up a lead of over five minutes. On the final categorised climb, however, the lead of the sole remaining escapee, Stefan Küng, was down to just two minutes as the peloton started the chase.

With the young black-and-yellow squad working hard for Brennan, the gap quickly narrowed, and Küng was caught with eleven kilometres to go. Heading into the final uphill stretch, Brennan was well positioned by his teammates, but the finish proved too demanding for the Brit.

“The plan today was to go for the sprint", said sports director Maarten Wynants. “As a team we had to work hard all day because a dangerous breakaway opened up a big gap early on. In the end, Matthew still had to move up at the start of the final climb, and he paid for that effort later. But to be honest, it was more hope than expectation—especially when you see the big names that ended up in the top ten.”

Despite the lack of a top result, Wynants is more than satisfied. “If you look at how our young team rode again today, we can only be happy. There’s a world-class field here and they’re showing themselves. This week has been another great step in their development, and you can tell they’re improving step by step through the experience they’re gaining.”