American cyclist Brandon McNulty secured a historic victory in the elite men’s road race at the World Cycling Championships in Montreal, launching a solo attack in the final six kilometers to claim the rainbow jersey. McNulty crossed the finish line of the 273.4-kilometer course alone, capturing the first world road title for the United States in 33 years, following Lance Armstrong’s victory in 1993.
Late-Race Attack Secures the Rainbow Jersey for McNulty
The 273.4-kilometer elite men’s race unfolded at a relentless pace on the Montreal circuit, with pre-race favorites including Mathieu van der Poel launching multiple aggressive attacks early on. Alongside Van der Poel, American Quinn Simmons and Primož Roglič managed to match the pace, while the rest of the peloton bided their time with two hours of racing remaining.
Entering the final three laps, the United States placed three riders in the leading group after two factions merged. McNulty seized the moment with an unexpected acceleration on a grueling climb, leaving the rest of the field behind.
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“The last climb I was dying, but I kept pedaling. I don’t know how I pulled it off,” McNulty said. Despite his time-trial credentials, his lead shrank to just ten seconds on the final ascent as fatigue set in across the chasing group. Holding firm, he crossed the line first in 6 hours, 17 minutes, and 4 seconds.
“I don’t know what’s happening right now. Even into the final meters, I didn’t believe it. I am speechless. I joked with my wife that maybe this could happen, but I kept telling myself it would be a miracle. And that miracle actually happened,” McNulty said through tears.
Podium Sprints and Crash Disruption for Czech Riders
Thirteen seconds behind the new world champion, the battle for the remaining podium spots came down to a fierce sprint. Australia’s Michael Matthews maintained contact with the elite climbers and classics specialists to secure the silver medal, his first world championship podium in eleven years. Van der Poel dug deep to claim the bronze medal for the Netherlands.
The leading group’s top ten also featured Quinn Simmons in fourth, Isaac del Toro of Mexico in fifth, Mads Pedersen of Denmark in sixth, Tom Pidcock of Great Britain in seventh, Matteo Jorgenson of the United States in eighth, Giulio Ciccone of Italy in ninth, and Ben Healy of Ireland in tenth.
Meanwhile, the Czech national team endured a difficult outing. Jakub Otruba and Pavel Novák both abandoned the race long before the finish. Czech champion Mathias Vacek saw his podium aspirations end when he crashed heavily during the final laps.
“Bad luck didn’t avoid us in this race either. Mathias had a crash on the final circuits,” national coach Petr Kaltofen said. “We reached him about three minutes later, when he was already in the care of doctors and paramedics. He communicated with us and was subsequently transported to the hospital for a more thorough examination.”
Elite Men’s Road Race Results
- 1. Brandon McNulty (USA) – 6:17:04
- 2. Michael Matthews (Australia) – +0:13
- 3. Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands) – +0:13
- 4. Quinn Simmons (USA) – +0:13
- 5. Isaac del Toro (Mexico) – +0:14
- 6. Mads Pedersen (Denmark) – +0:14
- 7. Tom Pidcock (Great Britain) – +0:14
- 8. Matthew Jorgenson (USA) – +0:14
- 9. Giulio Ciccone (Italy) – +0:14
- 10. Ben Healy (Ireland) – +0:14
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