There was little fanfare when Team USA’s Brandon McNulty slipped off the front of the lead group with a little more than 30 kilometres to go in the men’s elite road race at the 2026 UCI Road World Championships. Then, he built a serious lead.
Enjoying a gap of more than one minute heading into the final two loops of the city-centre course in Montréal on Sunday (27 September) those in the chasing pack began to realise the greatest danger might actually be pedalling away, up the road.
A steadfast domestique – a cycling term for a trusted sidekick – of two-time reigning world champion Tadej Pogačar, who had to miss this year’s race due to an unfortunate crash in the 2026 Vuelta a España, McNulty had flown under the radar somewhat this season.
His best result, somewhat ominously in hindsight, was a third place finish at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal – two weeks before the World Championships. But as he rode away from the favourites, it began to look like an outdated measure of strength.
Holding strong throughout the penultimate loop, McNulty finally hit a wall on the final ascent of Mount Royal. It was a true “make or break” moment for the man who’d watched Olympic gold slip through his fingers five years ago at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
On that occasion, he was dropped by eventual gold medallist Richard Carapaz after successfully dropping the rest of the field on the final climb, before being dropped himself and swallowed by the chase group shortly before finish – a circumstance he refused to find himself in again.
Pushing, prodding and willing his bike up the final few metres, he crested Mount Royal with a lead of approximately ten seconds. While Great Britain’s Tom Pidcock and Italy’s Giulio Ciccone had tried their best to close the gap, it was all a bit too much.
Instead of working together to catch McNulty, those in the chasing group began playing race games to better position themselves in the sprint. This allowed the North American world champ elect to cushion his lead, ultimately escaping one, last time.
Throwing his arms in the air aloft in utter disbelief, he cruised across the finish in a time 6:17:04, becoming the first men’s road cycling World Champion from the United States in 33 years.
“I’m really at a loss [for words],” admitted the stunned and visibly emotional World Champion. “Until the last few hundred metres, I really didn’t even believe it.”
Australia’s Michael Matthews won the desperate sprint for second place in the chasing pack, finishing runner-up for the second time in his career at 6:17:17, followed by 2023 World Champion Mathieu van der Poel in the same time.
“I was so tired,” McNulty confessed to broadcasters after the race. “The last climb up Mount Royal, I don’t how [I did it]. I was just dying, but I kept pushing.”
- UCI Road World Championships 2026: All winners, full results
- Cycling: Full list of men’s and women’s road race world champions
