Strong team performance earns Brennan second place in Super 8 Classic
Matthew Brennan finished second in the Super 8 Classic after a strong race. In the finale, Brennan could count on a strong Wout van Aert, who put himself fully at the service of the young Brit. In the end, Brennan had to settle for second place at the line, with Arnaud De Lie taking the win.
In the fifteenth edition of the Super 8 Classic, the black-and-yellow squad animated the race. On the tough hill section, Team Visma | Lease a Bike took control, which resulted in Van Aert, Brennan, and Christophe Laporte entering the finale with a heavily reduced group.
Despite several attack attempts, the group ultimately stayed together. In the final twenty kilometers, Van Aert put himself entirely in service of the young Brennan, who in the streets of Haacht had to settle for second place after a thrilling sprint, just behind De Lie.
"The team worked excellently all day, and in the finale Wout supported me fantastically"
“It was a hectic finale,” Brennan reflected afterwards. “In the final kilometer there was really no control. I tried to follow Arnaud, because I knew he was the strongest sprinter in the group. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough left to come past him in the end. He is the rightful winner.”
Still, the young Brit looks back on the day with satisfaction. “I enjoy racing in the Flemish classics. The team worked excellently all day, and in the finale Wout supported me fantastically. It’s special that such great riders believe in me. Without their help, I probably wouldn’t have been on the podium today.”
