Brandon McNulty wins men's road world title in Montreal to end 33-year US drought

A decisive late attack

Brandon McNulty won the elite road race at the UCI Road World Championships in Montreal on Sunday, completing the 273.4-kilometre course in 6 hours, 17 minutes and 4 seconds. The 28-year-old American attacked solo with 32 kilometres remaining, breaking clear on a flat section after the peloton neutralised a long-range escape. McNulty built a lead of 50 seconds entering the final 13.4-kilometre lap of the Montreal circuit. Although his advantage narrowed sharply on the final ascents, he held off the chasing group to secure the rainbow jersey. Australia's Michael Matthews claimed the silver medal in the group sprint, while Mathieu van der Poel of the Netherlands took bronze.

Early moves and peloton attrition

The race opened without two-time defending champion Tadej Pogacar, who missed the competition while recovering from a crash sustained at the Vuelta a Espana. Without the Slovenian rider, aggressive moves started early, with high-intensity racing developing 100 kilometres from the finish line. Van der Poel attacked with between 93 and 98 kilometres remaining, pulling clear in a group featuring Wout van Aert, Primoz Roglic and Oscar Onley. The break stayed clear for roughly 65 kilometres, draining the energy of several contenders. Pre-race favourite Remco Evenepoel struggled to respond to the repeated accelerations and eventually finished in 12th place.

Before the event, Evenepoel reflected on how the distance would shape the race.

“We are not going to be with our teams and the World Championships are 70 kilometres longer. That will make a big difference in terms of explosive power at the end.”

The chase and final kilometres

Young riders Isaac del Toro of Mexico and Paul Seixas of France helped reel in the initial breakaway before suffering from exhaustion in the finale. When the peloton caught Van der Poel, McNulty launched his counter-attack on the flat, catching the remaining contenders off guard. The Spanish squad, featuring Juan Ayuso and Enric Mas, was unable to influence the front of the race as the pace accelerated.

On the final significant climb, McNulty struggled under fatigue, and his lead shrank to 10 seconds with 10 kilometres to go. Tom Pidcock and Ben Healy attempted to organise the pursuit before Van der Poel launched a counter-attack with 6.8 kilometres remaining. The move fizzled out as the chasers failed to cooperate, allowing McNulty to protect his margin over the closing technical stretches.

Ending a 33-year championship gap

The course featured 3,800 metres of climbing over the final 170 kilometres, causing severe attrition across the peloton. McNulty became the first American man to win the elite road race world title since Lance Armstrong won in 1993, ending a 33-year drought for the United States national team. The triumph occurred on the same Montreal circuit where McNulty won the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal in 2025 alongside Pogacar. Other delegations struggled, including Portugal, whose rider Afonso Eulalio abandoned on lap three following a mechanical problem, while Nelson Oliveira placed 56th and Ivo Oliveira finished in 58th place.