“Help us to get some races back”: US veteran calls for Tour of California revival following Brandon McNulty’s world title triumph

Larry Warbasse hopes Brandon McNulty's World Championships victory can help revive professional cycling in the United States, including by bringing major races back to the country's calendar. The American believes the sport still has a substantial audience at home, but argues that it needs greater visibility and more opportunities for fans to watch top-level racing on their own roads.

The decline of the American professional road racing calendar has left a significant gap. Events such as the Tour of California, the Tour of Utah and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge once provided domestic platforms for international teams and riders, but those races have disappeared. Meanwhile, gravel cycling has become an increasingly prominent part of the US racing scene.

Warbasse believes McNulty's success could provide an opportunity to change that situation. A world title gives American cycling a major achievement to promote, but he hopes its impact will extend beyond the national team's performance in Montreal.

“I hope it will bring more attention to cycling in the US, and help us to get some races back, like the Tour of California,” Warbasse said in words to Domestique.

The former Tour of California was one of the most prominent stage races on the American calendar, attracting leading international teams and riders during its years of existence. Its return would represent an important step towards restoring a major road racing event in the country.

Warbasse also pointed to the support American riders received during the World Championships in Montreal as evidence that interest in the sport remains strong. The proximity of the Canadian venue to the United States brought a sizeable number of American spectators to the roadside, something that left a clear impression on the rider.

“In Montreal, it felt like half the people on the side of the road were American. That was amazing for us, and it also showed that there are so many cycling fans out there in the US.”

Warbasse believes the sport struggles to reach a wider audience through mainstream media, limiting its ability to attract attention beyond its established following. “Maybe cycling is missing the mainstream media – I don’t think the New York Times is really covering cycling too much – and that’s too bad.”

Greater media exposure could help turn major international results into broader public interest, while a stronger domestic calendar would give that audience more opportunities to engage with the sport. “But it would be great if we could translate that victory into more racing in the US, because I think there is a hunger for it.”

The depth of the current generation also gives reason for optimism. McNulty is not the only American to establish himself among the strongest riders in the international peloton, with Matteo Jorgenson, Quinn Simmons and Neilson Powless also contributing to the country's growing presence at the highest level. Powless had already come close to a World Championships podium with his fifth-place finish in 2021, but Warbasse believes the progress goes much further than a handful of established names.

“I think the group of American riders has just gotten stronger and stronger. I think this year, we probably could have fielded a team of 12 super strong guys.”