On the fifth day of the tour, the race entered Spanish territory for the first time. The stage covered 174 kilometres from Falset to Roquetes through Catalonia and was not necessarily destined for a bunch sprint, as a mountain climb with double-digit gradients 25 kilometres from the finish certainly had the potential to thin out the field considerably. In the end, however, almost 90 riders crossed the finish line together. And with Mads Pedersen (Lidl – Trek) and Kaden Groves (Alpecin – Premier Tech) absent, some big names in the sprinting world were missing.

Throughout, UAE had kept the peloton under control on the mountain climbs and hadn’t set an excessively fast pace; there were no attacks at all. For Brennan, this was no obstacle. “I see myself as a sprinter, but I can climb a bit too. That’s why terrain like this suits me down to the ground,” said the 21-year-old, who – just as in his first victory on Stage 2 – was set up perfectly in the final by his team-mates Wout van Aert and Christophe Laporte. “I had brilliant support; everything went to plan and I’m grateful that I was able to finish it off like that. In the final bend, I briefly lost sight of the rider in front of me, but it all turned out fine in the end.”

The day had no impact on the overall standings. The top 15 remain unchanged, with two Slovenians, Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates – XRG) and Primoz Roglic (Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe), leading the way, though they are already separated by almost three and a half minutes. In the points classification, too, Brennan remains behind Pogacar, even though both have two stage wins to their name and are thus the only winners of this tour so far. Pogacar also leads the points classification. In the young rider classification, Oscar Onley (Netcompany INEOS) continues to lead the way.

2026 Vuelta a España – Results of Stage 5

Here’s how Stage 5 of the 2026 Vuelta a España unfolded

Five early breakaway riders set the tone for the first part of the day. Walter Calzoni (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team), Fredrik Dversnes (Uno-X Mobility), Mattia Gaffuro (Team Picnic PostNL), Diego Uriarte (Equipo Kern Pharma) and Stefan Küng (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) set off early. Whilst the Swiss rider fell back relatively quickly following a mechanical, the attempt by the remaining four did not get very far either.

With 99 kilometres to go, they were caught again, as the wind was causing disruption, which is why the peloton had only allowed them a small lead in the first place. Shortly afterwards, the peloton split on the windward side, but here too, the group quickly came back together. After that, it was once again Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step) who tried his luck with a solo breakaway. His aim was the intermediate sprint, where he secured the points before dropping back again.

Pedersen and Groves fall behind on the climb

Up to that point, the terrain had been relatively flat. After that, there were a few undulations. On the first of these, Andreas Kron (Uno-X Mobility) tried his luck with an attack. The Dane managed to build up a 40-second lead once more, but was caught again immediately at the foot of the mountain classification (3rd category). There were still 29 kilometres to go to the finish.

Although there were no attacks on the mountain classification section – parts of which featured gradients in double figures – UAE controlled the peloton. At the back, however, even climbers who are usually strong on the hills, such as Pedersen and Groves, were forced to drop back. It was only after the mountain classification that Xabier Mikel Azpaaren (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) attempted a breakaway, which was neutralised by the peloton, led by Visma.

There were no further attacks right up to the finish, so the race was decided in a bunch sprint. There, Meeus, riding in Brennan’s slipstream, was unable to get past the young Briton’s rear wheel.