McNulty Wins Solo at Worlds, First US Title Since 1993

Brandon McNulty of UAE Team Emirates-XRG won the elite men's road race at the UCI World Championships in Montreal on Sunday, covering 273.4km in just over six hours. The 28-year-old American launched a solo attack with 32km remaining and held off the chase to secure the first US elite men's rainbow jersey since Lance Armstrong in 1993.

Michael Matthews of Australia took silver, winning the sprint from the chasing group, while Mathieu van der Poel of the Netherlands claimed bronze. Quinn Simmons finished fourth for the United States and Isaac del Toro of Mexico placed fifth.

“I thought my career was done two times in the last two years. And now to be here with a silver medal around my neck at the World Championships is a dream come true.”

The race unfolded without defending champion Tadej Pogacar, who missed the event after a crash at the Vuelta a Espana. Pre-race favourites Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert of Belgium were dropped well before the decisive move, with Evenepoel admitting he 'was not on a great day' from the first lap.

Spain endured a disappointing championship, with Juan Ayuso finishing 13th and Enric Mas abandoned with over 100km remaining. Portugal also missed the decisive selections despite fielding a strong squad including Joao Almeida and Afonso Eulalio.

For Matthews, the silver medal marked a remarkable comeback after a pulmonary embolism in May 2025 and a training crash in early 2026 that fractured both arms. 'I thought my career was done two times in the last two years,' he said.