Brandon McNulty matches rarely-seen statistic for first time in 27 years - Pogacar and Del Toro's UAE hierarchy influence World Championships winner's results
Cycling
Brandon McNulty's sensational World Championships victory not only saw him keep the rainbow jersey within the UAE Team Emirates - XRG ranks, but it also saw the American match a statistic last recorded in 1999 - 27 years ago.
In winning gold after a 32-kilometre solo off the front of the group of favourites, the 28-year-old became the first rider since Oscar Freire where their first win of the season was the World Championships road race.
With Tadej Pogacar and Isaac del Toro the clear leaders within UAE's current hierarchy, McNulty's rainbow jersey certainly changes the dynamics within the team. Usually a teammate to Pogacar and del Toro in major races, UAE now have to fit the rainbow jersey into their race plans.
Although McNulty is likely to continue working in service of Pogacar in major races such as the Tour de France, the American could well boast leadership roles in other races off the back of his victory.
McNulty's role as domestique for Pogacar and del Toro
In 2026, McNulty rode the Tour de France, Tour de Suisse and Milano Sanremo as a domestique for Pogacar, he also started Itzulia Basque Country in service of del Toro. Elsewhere, he seemingly had more freedom at Volta a Catalunya and Paris-Nice despite Joao Almeida starting in Catalunya.
While majority of world champions in the past three decades have tasted victory while in the rainbow jersey, McNulty's versatility and teamwork means that he could well be deployed in service of UAE's leaders in major races.
Nonetheless, McNulty has 16 individual wins since joining UAE, as well as five overall victories in his seven seasons at the team. He's contracted with the squad until the end of the 2030 season, with his peak years set to be rode with Mauro Gianetti's outfit.
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McNulty's teammate usually on UAE 'blacklist'
Meanwhile, McNulty's USA teammate Matteo Jorgenson has spent much of the last two seasons racing on the opposite side of Pogacar and UAE. In Montreal, the Visma rider ended up playing a crucial part in helping one of their riders into the rainbow jersey.
Jorgenson was wearing American colours rather than Visma’s at the World Championships, but his job became increasingly important once Brandon McNulty escaped with 33 kilometres remaining. While McNulty built his advantage, Jorgenson and Quinn Simmons stayed alive behind him, forcing every rival nation to think twice about how much they were prepared to contribute to the chase.
“McNulty attacked at the right moment, while Matteo Jorgenson selflessly covered every attack in the finale and disrupted the rhythm of the group,” Slavko Jeric reflected on RTV Slovenia's SOS-odmev podcast.
It also gave Toni Gruden the chance to revive one of the lingering subplots of the UAE-Visma rivalry - UAE's seemingly attentive marking of Jorgenson in races. “Maybe UAE will finally take Jorgenson off their blacklist now,” he joked.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- for what?frieders311-11-2026
- Blah blah blah!frieders311-11-2026
- Where Merckx just rode every single race he could and won all the time, Hinault won less often (percentage wise) because he was more judicious in what he raced. His palmares are nuts. He had amazing rivals, one to start his career and another to end it in the grand tours. His classics were solid. What sets him apart from Merckx and Pogačar are that he basically dabbled in the classics while the other two love(d) them. I used to compare Pogačar to Hinault for his grand tour record and occasional classics win, until I realized that the comparison was wrong. Pogačar loves the classics - ah, the memory of his reaction to finishing fourth in a 2 person sprint in Flanders in ‘22: utter domination in any one day race since then, even when he doesn’t win. Hinault lived for the grand tours and I don’t think anyone else will ever reach his record. 10 wins in 13 attempts? Good lord. An amazing rider. Wish there was more footage to watch.RidesHills11-11-2026
- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
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