“This is amazing. It’s already been a fantastic season so far, and to keep winning these past weeks is really special”, Brennan says afterwards. With his twelfth professional win of the year, the Brit lifts the team’s season tally to 35 victories.

Like the opening two stages, the third stage’s profile was tailor-made for a bunch sprint. The Dutch cycling team kept a firm grip on the peloton throughout. Once the breakaway had been reeled in, all eyes turned to the duo of Kooij and Brennan. After taking the first two stages in the United Kingdom, Kooij led-out his teammate perfectly to the line. The 20-year-old Brennan finished the job in sensational style, becoming the youngest stage winner ever at the Tour of Britain.

“It was a hectic finale today, with lots of riders fighting for position. We managed to move up with our train at just the right time. I was in Olav’s wheel, and he dropped me off perfectly at the line. It’s an incredible win”, Brennan says. “I’m really grateful to the team for giving me this opportunity to go for a stage win in my home country, especially with a leader like Olav in our team.”

Sports director Marc Reef is proud: “It’s really impressive to capitalise on the first three opportunities in this race. Of course, we know we have two strong sprinters with Olav and Matthew. It’s great to see all the hard work from the team being rewarded like this.”

The fourth stage on Friday brings a tough finale, with more climbing to come later in the weekend. “We knew the opening three days would present us good opportunities for stage wins, and we’ve made the most of them. The rest of the week will be harder. Tomorrow’s finish will be more of a punchy one, so we’ll make another plan for that”, overall leader Kooij concludes.