Matthew Brennan started 'too fast' in the Tour Down Under prologue

Matthew Brennan started like a shot in the prologue of the Santos Tour Down Under, but faded a bit in the second part of the 3.6-kilometer time trial. The British leader of Visma | Lease a Bike ultimately has to settle for 29th place. Team director Jesper Mørkøv reflects on his riders' performances on the team's site.

"We actually got off to a good start," said the Dane, who saw Brennan and Filippo Fiorelli get off to an excellent start. Brennan even posted the best time at the first checkpoint (after just under a kilometer), with Fiorelli in second. "The plan was to go all out straight away. That worked, but it was clear that this pace was a bit too fast for Matthew and Filippo. They lost time in the second part of the prologue. That’s a pity. The other guys also performed satisfactorily."

Those 'other guys' of Visma | Lease a Bike are Anton Schiffer, Menno Huising, Per Strand Hagenes, Pietro Mattio, and Tim Rex. "We've been here for about two weeks now, and there’s a good atmosphere in the group. In the coming days, we’ll be hunting for a stage win. Matthew is the perfect candidate for that," said Mørkøv.