The final Vuelta stage started and finished in Granada. Before the start, Steven Kruijswijk’s was honored  with a guard of honor by his fellow riders. After seventeen seasons as a professional, Kruijswijk finished his final professional race today. Once the starting gun went off, there was still some time for the traditional festivities.  

The race came alive when the peloton reached the local circuits in Granada. With 25 kilometers to go, Brennan launched an attack. Shortly afterward, a group including Van Aert also bridged across to the front of the race. The succession of short, steep climbs made for a tough finale. Van Aert did not contest the stage victory, but teammate Brennan remained at the front. The 21-year-old Brit was a prominent presence in the finale and ultimately finished fourth. Tobias Johannessen took the stage victory.  

“It has been three fantastic weeks,” said Van Aert, who was also named the winner of the super-combativity award. “It means a lot to me to win the green jersey here. I also wore it in the Vuelta two years ago, but then that crash happened. To abandon that Vuelta was a huge disappointment. That’s why it means even more to be on the podium today. As a team, we can look back on a successful race. We came here for stage wins, and we certainly achieved that goal.”  

Brennan can also look back on a remarkable performance. On his Grand Tour debut, he immediately claimed five stage victories. “I’ll look back on this as a very special period,” said Brennan. “Today, Steven said goodbye to cycling. He has experienced a lot, but even he said how unique our performance in this race was. That means a lot to me. We won seven stages, five of them by me. That was more than I could ever have dreamed of. I enjoyed this experience right up to the final meter today.”