Cat Ferguson doubles up with sprint victory at Spanish one-day race

Cat Ferguson secured a remarkable sprint victory at the Navarra Women's Elite Classic in Spain, becoming the first rider to win the race twice. The 134km one-day event, held in the hilly terrain around Pamplona, featured nine challenging climbs known as muros, which shaped the race into a selective contest. Ferguson, representing Movistar, emerged victorious from an 18-rider reduced bunch sprint, narrowly beating Ruby Roseman-Gannon of Liv AlUla Jayco and Fiona Mangan from Mayenne Monbana My Pie. This triumph marked Ferguson’s third win of the season, following her early success at Mallorca’s Trofeo Llucmajor and a stage victory at the Setmana Valenciana in February. The Yorkshire-born rider’s consistent form bodes well as she prepares for her debut at the Giro d’Italia Women later in the month, where her sprinting prowess is expected to be a key asset in pursuing stage wins. British teammates Pfeiffer Georgi and Katie Scott also performed strongly, finishing sixth and eighth respectively, underlining the depth of the UK contingent in the race. Meanwhile, British male rider Matthew Brennan continued his impressive 2024 campaign with a sprint win on the opening stage of the Flèche du Sud in Luxembourg. Riding for Visma-Lease a Bike, Brennan claimed victory in a bunch finish on the short but undulating 94km stage around Stadtbredimus. This result marked his third win of the year, following successes at the Tour Down Under and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, signalling his rising profile in the professional peloton. Brennan will don the leader’s jersey for the second stage of the five-day race and has a busy schedule ahead, including the Boucles de Mayenne in France, the Tour de Suisse, and his first Grand Tour appearance at the Vuelta a España in August. His performances echo those of fellow Brit Thomas Mein, who impressed at last year’s Flèche du Sud, maintaining Britain’s growing influence in European stage racing. Both Ferguson and Brennan’s victories highlight the strength and versatility of British riders across different disciplines and race formats this season.