“It’s special to be able to say that I’ve won Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne,” Brennan beamed afterward. “As a junior, I stood here watching the pros race, so it still needs to sink in. Everyone went above and beyond today. We took the initiative as a team, so I’m incredibly happy that it paid off.”  

The second classic on the Flemish spring calendar got underway shortly after noon in Kortrijk. Brennan, who was still showing some minor aftereffects from his crash in Omloop Nieuwsblad, appeared motivated at the start. In the hilly opening phase of the race, seven riders formed the early breakaway. During the first hours, Brennan briefly found himself in a chasing group, but he was brought back to the front in time by Pietro Mattio.  

In a nervous peloton, the first real selection was made on the Mont Saint-Laurent. Several sprinters were dropped, but among others Brennan made a strong impression near the front of the bunch. After the Mont Saint-Laurent, calm never truly returned to the peloton. Partly driven by Team Visma | Lease a Bike, the pack was repeatedly split into several groups, though significant time gaps never emerged. Ultimately, a heavily reduced peloton headed toward Kuurne, where everyone prepared for a bunch sprint.  

In the run-up to that sprint, Brennan was perfectly positioned on the wheel of his teammates. At the right moment, Christophe Laporte powered to the front as lead-out, after which Brennan sprinted convincingly to victory. It marks the second win of the season for the 20-year-old Brit.  

“I started with mixed feelings after my crash in Omloop Nieuwsblad. I was nervous and riding slightly on the back foot at first. Pietro gave everything to get me back to the front in time on the Kluisberg. I got back into the race and from that moment found my rhythm. We wanted to make it a hard race as a team, and we executed that perfectly. The guys guided me to the front flawlessly. Christophe dropped me off at exactly the right moment and made sure the hardest part was done. I still had to finish it off. It’s the first Flemish classic I’ve won, and hopefully not the last,” Brennan concluded.