'Van Aert told me to go for my own opportunity' - Youngest rider Matthew Brennan impresses as Belgian misses Paris-Roubaix podium

Ahead of Paris-Roubaix, all eyes were on Wout van Aert when it came to the contenders in the yellow colours of Visma-Lease a Bike. 

There was equally as much excitement about their so-called 'secret weapon', the Gravaa adaptable tyre system, that Pauline Ferrand-Prévot deployed to great success as she ran out victorious in Saturday's Paris-Roubaix Femmes.

However, by the time the grey clouds parted and the cobblestones arrived, the Dutch team's debutant and youngest rider in the race, Matthew Brennan, was proving to be as much of a driving force.

The British 19-year-old made it into a select group of riders as the race splintered across Paris-Roubaix's remorseless pavé sectors. Brennan ignited proceedings on several occasions but eventually succumbed to the pace of those at the front, subsequently dropping away and arriving into the velodrome in 44th position.

Nonetheless, Visma and Van Aert, who narrowly missed out on a podium spot, clearly believed in the youngster's potential to make a mark on the Hell of the North.

"It was more just to see how far I can get, and then at that point, try and support Wout. [That] didn't necessarily play out," the Briton revealed to press at the finish.  

"I think Wout maybe struggled on some of the sectors earlier on, whereas I felt a little bit better, and he told me to go for my own opportunity, which was really nice.

"Then [Van Aert] started to work a little bit for me, just to try and keep the pace going, but unfortunately, a couple of kilometres down the road, I didn't feel great and I just said 'I can't go on anymore and look after yourself.'"

Despite crashing in the Arenberg Trench, Van Aert managed to recover and still challenge for the podium, even if he was in a world of pain.

"It was a surprise that I could still fight for the podium. Fourth was my place today," he told Sporza.

On his crash, Van Aert said: "I really wasn't feeling well at that moment. I had already fallen before the first sector. I had to race from the back for a long time. In the Arenberg I didn't have the legs yet."

He praised his young teammate for his teamwork and support. 

"Matthew stayed with me for a long time. That was really nice to see. We tried to work together as best we could."

Brennan, who has already won four times in his debut professional season, including twice in the WorldTour at the Volta a Catalunya, was more than pleased with his performance despite losing sight of the front of the race as the sectors were ticked off.

"I felt pretty good when it started to kick off, and then I just fell off a cliff basically. Wout was there as well, but we did what we could," he added.

He confessed that his Paris-Roubaix debut was the furthest he'd ever ridden, with the company he found himself in as the race broke apart as almost surreal.

"It was just a cool experience. I think when you look behind and see that there's no one left, and then you're left with some of the best cyclists of all time, and this is your first Paris-Roubaix, and it's kind of like, 'Oh, what do I do now?'"

It's understandable that a debutant would have a 'pinch me' moment like that in the circumstances, but Brennan by no means sees that as his ceiling.

Reflecting on what he can take from the day and for when he likely returns in 12 months, he added: "That's part of the game, you know, [I'm] still young, to be in that position is really quite [the] confidence booster for the future."

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