British teenager Brennan wins Romandie opening stage
British teenager Matthew Brennan edged to a sprint victory on the opening stage of the Tour de Romandie.The 19-year-old, riding for Visma-Lease a Bike, claimed the yellow jersey in Fribourg on Wednesday with his fourth professional win.Brennan has previously won the Grand Prix de Denain and two stages of the Volta a Catalunya.Britain's Samuel Watson, of Ineos Grenadiers, could not emulate his success from victory in Tuesday's prologue despite the efforts of team-mate and former Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas.Belgian favourite Remco Evenepoel finished ninth, trailing Brennan by seven seconds.Despite the warm April conditions, Brennan produced an impressive ride to edge clear from the peloton in the longest stage of the race - a 194.4km route, including four categorised climbs.Thursday's second stage consists of a 157km loop in La Grande Beroche.
Tour of Romandie - stage one
Matthew Brennan (GB/Visma-Lease a Bike) 4hrs 42mins 32secsAurelien Paret-Peintre (Fra/Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale) Same timeArtem Shmidt (USA/Ineos Grenadiers) Same timeHuub Artz (Ned/Intermarche-Wanty) Same timeClement Venturini (Fra/Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale) Same time
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
17 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Lewis Hamilton silenced by Ferrari after 'massive' problem found
Lewis Hamilton has endured a tricky season with Ferrari and has been outspoken about his frustrations, but the Italian team have now moved to stop his outbursts Lewis Hamilton has revealed that Ferrari chiefs have stepped in to stop him speaking out on the issues with the team's car. Hamilton has endured a tricky start to his time with the Scuderia. The seven-time world champion is yet to record a podium in a feature race, though he did win the Sprint in China. He could only manage a sixth-place finish in the Spanish Grand Prix a fortnight ago. The 40-year-old pointed to a major problem with his car as the reason the disappointing result in Barcelona. Speaking to race engineer Riccardo Adami after the chequered flag, Hamilton said: 'There's something wrong with this car. It's the worst it's ever been.' Team-mate Charles Leclerc has enjoyed a better season, recording two successive podium finishes. On the whole though, Ferrari are far from where they want to be in what is the final year of the current regulations. Hamilton has been vocal about the issues aflicting the Scuderia this season. But heading into this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix, the British star has revealed that Ferrari have moved to stop his outbursts of frustration. 'Unfortunately they don't want us really to talk too much about it, but we both had issues that were hindering us massively from halfway through the race already,' Hamilton said. 'What I didn't know is whether or not we had that problem. 'Obviously I said on the radio that it was the worst-feeling car that I'd ever had, and it truly was with that issue. At the end of the race, I was kind of like, jeez, I've never experienced something this bad for such a prolonged time through a race. "It wasn't until after the TV interviews that we got back to the engineers and we found out there was an issue. So it was a bit of a relief to hear that because it definitely didn't feel so terrible afterwards. "The car very much has a real sweet spot and we're trying to get it working at all those tracks which everyone's having a struggle with. I'm hoping this weekend can be strong.' Ferrari's issues have led to speculation around team principal Fred Vasseur's future. But Hamilton has insisted he remains fully behind Vasseur and does not believe a change at the top is needed. 'Firstly I love working with Fred – Fred's the main reason I'm in this team and got the opportunity to be here, for which I'm forever grateful for, and we're in this together," he said. 'We're working hard in the background, things aren't perfect but, for me, I'm here to work with the team but also with Fred – I want Fred here. I do believe Fred is the person to take us to the top, so that's that. So it's all nonsense. 'It isn't all easy, it's not like it's all the smoothest sailing in the background – we are having to make changes and there is a lot of work to do, and there is naturally a lot of pressure because we want to win. 'I've literally just started here with Ferrari and I'm here for several years, and I'm here for the long-haul, so there is no question in where my head's at and what I'm working towards achieving with this team, so there's zero doubts.'
Daily Mirror
20 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Liverpool finally agree Florian Wirtz deal after Leverkusen drop asking price
Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen have agreed a British record fee for Florian Wirtz, it has been claimed. The Germany international will cost the Reds an initial £100million, plus up to £16million in add-ons. Leverkusen were initially holding out for £125m for the star, who was of interest to the likes of Manchester City and Bayern Munich in recent months. However, Liverpool have succeeded in bringing the price down. According to The Ath;etic, the successful bid comes after an offer worth up to £113m was put to Leverkusen earlier in the month. If all add-ons are activated, the fee would surpass the £115m Chelsea agreed with Brighton for the signing of midfielder Moises Caicedo. The same publication reports that conversations between Liverpool transfer chief Richard Hughes and Leverkusen counterpart Simon Rolfes have largely surrounded payment terms and add-ons. Wirtz is set to become Liverpool's third big-money arrival this summer, after Jeremie Frimpong and Giorgi Mamardashvili. Wirtz, 22, would join a select group of players to join Premier League clubs for nine-figure sums. He would become the first Liverpool signing on that list, which also includes Chelsea duo Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice and Man City star Jack Grealish.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Farrell 'secures England return' as Saracens plot retirement plan for fly-half
Owen Farrell is set to return to the Premiership after Saracens secured a deal that will see him return from Racing 92 with his contract factoring in his role once he's retired Owen Farrell will return to Saracens after just one year away with the Premiership club negotiating his exit from French club Racing 92. The England star opted to head overseas last summer, but is now poised to head back. Farrell joined Stuart Lancaster, the man who gave him his England debut in 2011, at the Paris-based outfit. However Lancaster has since been sacked and the fly-half has struggled to settle in the French capital, struggling with injury and expressing a desire to return to his homeland. Racing 92 originally demanded a €500,000 fee to let Farrell go but Saracens have negotiated that down to €200,000 with the 33-year-old signing a five-year deal in north London that makes plans for his retirement, reports the Telegraph. The move will see him take up a player-coach position. Farrell is set to play for at least the next two seasons before he transitions into a full-time coaching role when he retires as a player. Racing received approaches from several Premiership clubs, including Gloucester and Leicester Tigers, but Farrell was only looking to return to Saracens, where he had played for 16 seasons as a professional. Farrell's return to England means he is again eligible to play for his country. The RFU's overseas policy meant he had ruled himself out of playing under Steve Borthwick, but he will again put himself in contention to add to his 112 caps. Saracens have just missed out on the top four having previously been regulars in the play-offs and director of rugby Mark McCall, who didn't shy away from confessing the club's interest in Farrell, insists having him back would be a huge plus on and off the pitch. 'He doesn't have to play 10, he can play other positions as well,' McCall said recently. 'So for our young talents who are developing, it could be a great thing to have him there. 'It's not just about having talent, it's about being able to think properly on the field. I know Owen's obviously one of the best at that. He and [fellow fly-half] Louie Johnson in particular have a very strong relationship already. They talk every month at least. Owen's so willing to share his knowledge and his experience with younger players.' Farrell was seen as an outside bet to go on this summer's British and Irish Lions tour, where dad Andy is the head coach. He can still be called up as injury cover, which could see him take part in a fourth tour having been part of the squads in 2013, 2017 and 2021.
