Britain’s Ethan Vernon edged out compatriot Matthew Brennan to win stage two of the Volta a Catalunya for Israel–Premier Tech.

The 24-year-old crossed the line half a wheel ahead of Brennan after a closely contested sprint finish in Figueres.

Brennan, 19, remains top of the general classification after his stunning victory on stage one.

Tuesday’s 177.3km stage, which began in Banyoles, also built towards a dramatic finish and Alpecin-Deceuninck’s Kaden Groves and Axel Laurance of Ineos Grenadiers led the way with 150m to go.

But Vernon timed his sprint perfectly to surge past them and take it on the line, just ahead of Visma-Lease a Bike’s Brennan.

The teenage Brit holds a six-second overall lead over second-placed Groves before the Volta’s first mountain stage – a 218.6km ride from Viladecans to La Molina – on Wednesday.

The seven-stage race concludes in Barcelona on Sunday.