Brandon McNulty has won in Montréal 12 months ago - Now, he can win for the USA and UAE Team Emirates - XRG
CyclingMonday, 21 September 2026 at 17:30
Remco Evenepoel, Filippo Ganna and Paul Seixas have made up the podium of the time trial World Championships in Montréal. In fourth place was Brandon McNulty, who is one of the United States' leaders for the men's elite road race this upcoming Sunday where the world title will be the goal.
During this past Sunday, the American nation had two riders at the start line: McNulty and Netcompany INEOS' Artem Shmidt. The latter, 22, was a surprise in the packed Top20 that included many of the best time trialists in the world.
"I think I did a pretty decent time in terms of my own sensations, I left mostly everything out there," Schmidt said in words to Cyclingnews. "You know, when you get done with it, you always think you can go a little bit deeper".
The 39-kilometer long effort was not easy to manage for some riders, having around 45 minutes of duration for most riders; plenty technical sections in its start and finale; and a final 500-meter long uphill dash to the line.
"We got to see the course yesterday (Saturday, ed.) for the first time, but when you do the course with 100 other people warming up on it, you really can't take the corners full speed," he explained. "So today was really like the first time you got to do it full speed".
It was a day of discovery for Shmidt, who recently signed a three-year deal with NSN Cycling Team. At the finish line, he put in a strong time, and finished ahead of consolidated time trialists such as Nelson Oliveira and former World Champion Tobias Foss.
"It was a super interesting course. The beginning and the end of it are super technical, and it's a little bit hard to hard to pace. It wasn't the smoothest road in existence, the potholes added another element. It's super easy to lose momentum with the potholes and trying to gain momentum back was super tough".
"It's not your typical, let's say, flattish TT course where you go out and you do like a certain power number. You kind of really have to choose where you want to invest and where you want to save a bit".
Brandon McNulty during the 2026 time trial world championships
Brandon McNulty close to a medal
But the country's focus laid on Brandon McNulty, a medal contender for both races in Montréal. Due to Jakob Söderqvist's late crash this Sunday, the UAE Team Emirates - XRG managed to climb one unexpected position in the finale. He was fourth in the finale, only 12 seconds away from Paul Seixas who was third on the day.
"Once I knew I was not in the hot seat in first, with Remco and Filippo still to go, so you don't really have a chance at the medals. But 12 seconds from the medals is not bad. I knew a medal was somewhat possible, so I wasn't that far off. I'm happy with the ride".
The former Giro and Vuelta stage winner was one of the strong contenders for the medals, although this poses as his best result in a time trial throughout the 2026 season.
"I think it shows I'm good. I put a lot more effort on position stuff since the Tour, since I had quite a bit of time. I think on this course that was super important, because it was technical, but also just completely flat," the 28-year old detailed.
"It was a technical circuit for sure. So I think it showed the work was paying off. Hopefully I can keep getting better."
Can McNulty win the rainbow jersey in Montréal?
But the real goal lies on the men's elite road race. Tadej Pogacar is the two-time reignging champion, but will not be present this time around. UAE might have the main favourite in Isaac del Toro as well as a dangerous wildcard in Jhonatan Narváez; but it is McNulty who might be in a perfect middle ground.
Whilst not having the media pressure as the likes of Remco Evenepoel and Paul Seixas; McNulty has won the GP de Montréal in 2025 and was third behind Seixas and Isaac del Toro just over a week ago. For some, the true wildcard in the race.
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"It's the best team I think the US have had. Of course there's going to be crazy good guys from all the nations, so we have our work cut out. There's a ton of strong guys that we still have not ever really beaten before. I mean, if guys like Remco [Evenepoel] and [Mathieu] van der Poel, who did 180 kilometers solo today, show up, it's gonna be hard".
But McNulty will be joined by Quinn Simmons, who has an equally impressive record at the GP de Montréal and such hilly races; as well as other danger men such as Matteo Jorgenson, Riley Sheehan and teammate Kevin Vermaerke to be part of an expected tactical race ahead.
If McNulty wins this Sunday, it won't be his first time winning in Montréal - but it would make for the biggest win of his career.
"I think we have numbers to at least play our cards well. I think we have a good team to race super aggressively and try to do something. I think if we do everything perfect, we have a good shot at a medal," he concluded.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- Pogi, the best of everything else... The G.O.A.T. of over all cycling!!!PogiSloFans21-09-2026
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- Pogi hater... shush. Capish?PogiSloFans21-09-2026
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