“It’s going to be extremely uncool seeing him third-last in the UAE train with pockets full of water bottles” - Michael Rasmussen fears rainbow jersey humiliation for Brandon McNulty
CyclingTuesday, 29 September 2026 at 15:45
Brandon McNulty will spend the next year wearing one of the most recognisable jerseys in cycling. Michael Rasmussen is already wondering how that will look once the new world champion returns to a UAE Team Emirates - XRG squad still built around Tadej Pogacar and, increasingly, Isaac del Toro.
McNulty chose his moment perfectly in Montreal, attacked clear with around 30 kilometres remaining and held on for the biggest victory of his career. The rainbow jersey joins a palmares which already included GP Montreal, the Tour de Pologne and stage victories at both the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana.
Rasmussen knows plenty about the status that comes with a distinctive jersey. The Danish ex-pro won four Tour de France stages and twice took home the polka-dot mountains jersey during his road career, before later moving into television punditry.
What he cannot picture quite so easily is McNulty wearing the rainbow bands while performing the sort of support work that has long been part of his job at UAE.
“It’s going to be extremely uncool seeing him in the world champion’s jersey sitting third-last in the UAE train with his pockets full of water bottles, then pulling off when the two stars are about to start racing for the win,” Rasmussen said on Viaplay Sport News.
McNulty played a key support role in Pogacar's Tour de Suisse win earlier this year
A world champion inside UAE’s already stacked hierarchy
McNulty has spent much of his UAE career moving between leadership opportunities and some of the least glamorous jobs in the team. Give him freedom and he has repeatedly shown he can win. Put Pogacar alongside him at one of the biggest races on the calendar and the American has also been trusted to control, chase and empty himself before the Slovenian takes over, something he has repeatedly done to a high standard.
The difference now is that every one of those kilometres will be ridden in the rainbow jersey. “It almost gives me an upset stomach,” Rasmussen assesses of the situation.
McNulty’s record was already far beyond that of a conventional domestique before Montreal. He won the Tour de Pologne overall in 2025 and, on the same Canadian roads where he has now become world champion, took GP Montreal ahead of Pogacar last year.
UAE’s depth means none of that guarantees him top billing whenever the biggest names come together, in fact quite the opposite. Pogacar remains the undisputed defining rider of the team, while Del Toro’s rise has given UAE another genuine contender capable of arriving at the largest races expecting to win. So what room in the already stacked hierarchy is there for a world champion?
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Finding room for the rainbow jersey
The more obvious solution is in McNulty’s programme. UAE can give him his own targets without having to rewrite their hierarchy at races built around Pogacar or Del Toro, and Rasmussen expects those opportunities to become particularly important over the next year.
“If he’s lucky, they’ll give him a team where he can see whether he can win the Tour de Pologne in the world champion’s jersey, but otherwise it’s going to be a bit bizarre,” he said. “It’s a very big responsibility that has landed on his shoulders.”
McNulty now has the strongest argument of his career for more leadership, while UAE have their own incentive to put the rainbow jersey in positions where it can actually compete for victories. Whether these two goals can coexist remains to be seen.
Pogacar is hardly going to surrender leadership at his biggest objectives because one of his teammates won the World Championships, and Del Toro’s emergence only gives UAE another rider around whom major race plans can be built, without even taking into account the likes of Joao Almeida and Adam Yates. With that backdrop, Rasmussen’s bottle-carrying image becomes difficult to avoid.
McNulty has just won the biggest one-day race of his career, but the jersey itself does not suddenly erase the team structure he returns to. Montreal proved what happens when McNulty gets a chance and takes it. The next twelve months will show how often UAE are prepared to give their world champion another one.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- Stop crying, ride fasterCrashjames29-09-2026
- Fair point from Rasmussen. At the TDF, sure, he's riding for Pogi, no question. But now that Brandon's in the rainbow jersey, he's earned the right to go for his own wins when the race suits him. He's more than just a bottle carrier at this point.Pedalmasher29-09-2026
- You want some of their oil money?? Then you do what they say. That is exactly what Brandon signed on to for the next four years.mobk29-09-2026
- This is the power of UAE, best in history surely witohut a doubt. Their domestiques are better than other teams captain and beat em in montreal and now WC its crazy. UAE is a crazy teammiguel29-09-2026
- Sure, it's frustrating. The men’s race drove me crazy, I couldn’t sit still, and I won’t pretend that I didn’t scream at the screen once or twice. But this is hardly a new phenomenon, nor does it only happen at the Worlds. We saw it back in Leuven in 2021 when questions lingered over how hard Belgium actually chased Alaphilippe. Conversely, you see the flip side when riders step outside their team for friendship and their shared nation, like G helping Cav in the final stage of the 23’ Giro. It’s almost impossible for the UCI to prevent it. We live in an era where cycling is dictated by super teams like UAE and Visma, and cyclists don’t want to burn bridges with team mates they have to work with for the rest of the year. It is what it is.anonymouscyclist29-09-2026
- A number of commentators said MVDP and WVA needed to get ahead of the climbers. I think that was backwards, they needed to drop him. Even after burning so many matches MVDP was able to crush all the climbers in the sprint, and if he hadn't used himself up he would have beaten Matthews, too.velodan29-09-2026
- Last year del Toro raced like a full Pogi domestique. This year harder to tell. Certainly others could have worked harder too to catch Brandon.mobk29-09-2026
- OK, I agree, Lance Armstrong was a jerk and the biggest doper in the history of any sports. But his Livestrong Foundation raised about $500 million for cancer-related programs and services during Lance Armstrong's career. That money came from many sources, individual donors, corporate partners, merchandise, events, and other fundraising. Armstrong personally donated approximately $7 million to the foundation. Livestrong described the Armstrong family as its largest donor. Lance did not receive a salary as chairman of the foundation. PS: How many of you Armstrong haters donated for cancer? Every year, on World Cancer Day, February 4th, my wife and I donate 200€ for cancer patients.PogiSloFans29-09-2026
- How does criticising Remco mean not putting enough attention on the americans? This reminds me of one time when the Telegraph accused the Guardian of being antisemitic because they mentioned the word Palestine more than the word Israel. Which is ridiculous for so many reasons
Rafionain-Glas29-09-2026 - Pogi wants to race, UAE don't want him to race. I personally agree with Gianetti, Pogi has nothing more to prove this year... but ... Pogi is feeling good. He doesn't need to be 100% and can still win. Maybe use the ECC as a preparation for Il Lombardia, the last Monument. The only thing that worries me is him crashing hard again. It could be a catastrophe. I just hope Pogi and his team make the right decision.PogiSloFans29-09-2026
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