McNulty wins world road race in Montreal, first American champion in 33 years

Brandon McNulty won the UCI world road race championship on September 27 in Montreal, becoming the first American man to claim the title in 33 years and the first since Lance Armstrong's victory in Oslo in 1993. The 28-year-old completed the grueling 273.4-kilometer course in 6 hours 17 minutes, crossing 13 seconds clear of the chasing pack, per BBC Sport.

McNulty's victory came as an upset. He is a time-trialist and domestique by trade, a supporting rider rather than a designated sprinter or climber, and he was lightly regarded in a field heavy with pre-race favorites. His teammate Tadej Pogacar, the strongest rider in cycling and a constant presence in grand tours, did not start due to injury. Mathieu van der Poel of the Netherlands, a threat in single-day races, finished third. Michael Matthews of Australia took second. Britain's Tom Pidcock finished seventh; Ireland's Ben Healy, tenth; Belgium's Remco Evenepoel, twelfth, per the source.

McNulty seized the initiative with roughly 30 kilometers to race, launching an attack that gave him a 50-second cushion going into the final lap, according to BBC Sport. The Guardian's reporting notes that the race was conducted without the benefit of radio communication between riders and team staff, removing one of modern cycling's standard tools for coordination and strategy. On the closing lap, Tom Pidcock mounted a last-ditch attempt to reel in McNulty. The lead narrowed to just 10 seconds on the final climb, but McNulty held on.

McNulty is a teammate of Pogacar at UAE Emirates. He won the Montreal Grand Prix in 2025, giving him familiarity with the course and conditions. His post-race words captured the thinness of his margin between defeat and survival: "Until the last 800m I didn't believe," he told BBC Sport. "I was so tired. I'm at a loss for words. I knew something could happen but it would take a miracle and I guess today a miracle happened."

The victory ends a 33-year American drought in cycling's marquee one-day event, a span in which the sport has seen the rise and fall of doping scandals, the consolidation of European dominance, and the evolution of team tactics. McNulty's triumph came not from the expected script of a pre-race favorite or a dominant breakaway, but from a methodical attack that held up under pressure when the outcome hung on seconds.