British teenager Brennan gives Welsford serious scare Down Under | Video

Matthew Brennan, far right, came through very fast on the line and he nearly ruined Sam Welsford's big day (Photo: Chris Auld)

Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) was billed as one of the neo pros to watch before the start of the 2025 road season and the British 19-year-old is living up to that billing.

He pushed Sam Welsford (Red Bull-Bora hansgrohe) very close for victory on the opening stage of Tour Down Under on Tuesday.

Brennan, who won a stage of Giro Next Gen last year and is regarded as a top prospect for Great Britain, came through very strongly on the line into Gumeracha. And after 150km of racing he just ran out of road to pip Welsford on the line.

Ireland's Ryan Mullen, and Dutch team mate Danny van Poppel, both combined to assist team sprinter Welsford to the win, starting the season with a bang for Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe.

“This is a fantastic result, and I’m really happy with it,” Brennan said after his runner-up spot in what was the first World Tour road race of the year.

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“I have to thank the team, they worked hard for me all day. In the final kilometers, we wanted to take our chance and see how close we could get.

"I spotted a gap on the left side of the road and decided to go for it. I think I had a strong sprint, but in the end, I came up just short. At this level, there’s no shame in that.”

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