Britain’s Cat Ferguson (Movistar) became the first double winner of the Navarra Women’s Elite Classic on Thursday when she sprinted to victory at the head of a reduced bunch.
Based on Pamplona in northeast of Spain, the 1.Pro race covered a hilly 134km with nine classified muros – a southern European equivalent of the Tour of the Flanders, without the cobbles.
Ferguson wasn’t the only Briton adding to their 2026 win tally yesterday; Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) was also victorious on stage one of the Flèche du Sud stage race in Luxembourg. He won the full bunch sprint in Stadtbredimus ahead of Roy Hoogendoorn (Metec Solarwatt p/b Mantle) and Tobias Risan Nakken (Drali-Repsol). It came at the end of a lumpy but short (94km) stage held over three laps around the town.
Just like Ferguson, this was Brennan‘s third victory of the year – he won a stage of the Tour Down Under in January and then Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne in March. He picks up where countryman Thomas Mein left off in last year’s Flèche du Sud; then riding for Mg.K Vis Costruzioni e Ambiente, Mein rode consistently throughout, winning the third stage and finishing second on GC.
Brennan will wear the leader’s jersey on Friday’s second stage of the five-day race. He is next due to put his talent on show at the French four-day Boucles de Mayenne race, starting 28 May, before going on to race the Tour de Suisse in June and then the Vuelta a España, his first Grand Tour, in August.
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