Brandon McNulty on post-crash peloton anxiety: "After a big crash you’re always scared to fight"
Cycling
Brandon McNulty is one of the main favourites for the ongoing Tour de Romandie, and the American has talked about his feelings during the first stages of the race - after a late spring that has seen illnesses and crashes hinder him from performing at his best.
McNulty spoke to VeloNews at the start of stage two of the Tour de Romandie, where he played a role in the finale, having attacked in the final hilltop finish in Romont - followed by Rohan Dennis and Dylan Teuns who went on to fight for the stage win. “It looked okay in the end, and I was able to kind of attack but I was actually feeling really bad... I felt good for maybe a minute and a half and normally I can sustain that but when he went I just blew," he said, having finished 21st in the day.
Having taken wins at the Trofeo Calvia, Faun-Ardèche Classic and Paris-Nice, the young American has stepped his level up a notch, having been in the fight for several other races inbetween. After his successful Paris-Nice, he got ill with Covid-19, and on his return to the peloton at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, he hit the deck alongside many others.
He has one final opportunity this spring to net some results, and it's here at the Tour de Romandie where he currently sits inside the Top10: "With the crash in Liège, it just means that it’s day-by-day and hopefully, I can get through today safely, and then from tomorrow onwards it gets harder.”
“The wounds are healing quickly but it’s still sore. Yesterday I was feeling really bad at the back and then with 30km to go, I just had to shut everything off and get to the front. It was also difficult mentally because after a big crash you’re always scared to fight. So you really have to turn that back on," he added.
Despite not giving the best signs, McNulty should still play a role in the battle for the overall classification, and will be leading the UAE Team Emirates team alongside Juan Ayuso in the Swiss Alps.
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.
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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)...
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Brandon McNulty had a bit of a nightmare as he nearly missed the start of today's #TourDeRomandie prologue!
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