"Once Pogacar crashed out, we realised that we could actually have a shot" - USA rider reflects on 'beautiful' McNulty World Championships victory
Cycling
Brandon McNulty's World Championships victory has been described as 'beautiful' by his teammate in Montreal Larry Warbasse. Labelled as one of the biggest moments in US cycling history, the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider took a remarkable win in September after an advantageous move from the group of favourites.
McNulty's move was no isolated attack, with the US boasting a strong line-up and an ever-growing short list of high level riders. In the lead-up to McNulty's attack, Quinn Simmons was on the attack while Matteo Jorgenson marked counter-moves to neutralise the chase behind.
In the end, McNulty crossed the line solo and took his first rainbow jersey, succeeding teammate Tadej Pogacar in the iconic jersey. His teammate Warbasse found out while still on the course behind the front of the race.
“I found out just as I was hitting that university climb,” Warbasse told Domestique.
“There were guys telling me that Brandon had won. For me, that was super exciting, and I was riding with his trade teammate Ivo Oliveira, so for both of us, it was pretty cool.”
For Warbasse, the race is one of the highlights of his career from a team perspective. The 36-year-old thinks that the result reflects the progress and strength of American cycling.
Brandon McNulty, world champion in Montréal.
Warbasse labels win 'gigantic'
“It’s definitely one of the biggest highlights. I probably never imagined I’d get to be a part of a team that would win the men’s elite road race title, so that was huge.
“I think also just for the US, it’s gigantic because I would say we had kind of a down period in terms of performance for the elite men for a long time. But we had one of the strongest teams in the race and Brandon was able to pull it off with a really beautiful victory.”
Pogacar's absence from the championships was a game-changer for the Americans. Although all other teams were buoyed by the favourite's omission from the start list, it certainly suited USA's strength in numbers.
“I mean, I think we thought we had a really good shot at the podium, and then once Pogacar crashed out, we realised that we could actually have a shot at more. I think it was really in the weeks before that we realised that maybe we could actually win this thing.
“It was crazy. We maybe missed a big star name like Remco or Van der Poel, but we knew that collectively we probably had one of the strongest teams.”
Read also
Simmons and Jorgenson also in top ten
With Simmons and Jorgenson in the top ten, it was the perfect race for USA. Warbasse finished 57th after working for the team earlier in the race, using his experience well in his fourth elite men's road race in a row.
“Neilson [Powless] was fifth a few years ago, so we’ve been pretty close. But in the end, 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.
"And in Montreal, the biggest thing was probably having three guys in the top ten strongest in the race, because that really allows you to play in the final. I think for us that was probably the biggest difference maker.”
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.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- again, nothing is going to be resolved. it is a discussion board. I simply said I didn't see how MS impeded LBs sprint. the UCI doesn't care about my thoughts, and I am really not that emotionally invested in it.mij09-11-2026
- provoke change, lol. this is a discussion board. nothing is going to change by what I say here. just commenting that it didn't look like MS impeded Brand. beyond that not trying to go too deep.mij09-11-2026
- as excellent as maga rednecks chloe dygert (and quinn simmons)?Ketterechts09-11-2026
- so what i understand is: i left a comment calling out the endless author CVs for being an unnecessary flex of expertise, and you responded by lecturing me (and others) on discrimination and value systems. hats off to you. you definitely lost me!Ketterechts09-11-2026
- I just love the flood of Americans into the top ranks of world cycling. In addition to being studs on the bike, they all seem to be excellent emissaries for our country.Occam09-11-2026
- ANATOMY OF A G.O.A.T. EDDY MERCKX about TADEJ POGAČAR: Merckx: “He has revived a style of cycling that we had almost forgotten. He is now better than me.” Key statements by Merckx about Pogačar in 2026: - Acknowledging his superiority: This time, Merckx openly admitted, without any subsequent backtracking or reservations, that Pogačar had surpassed him and was now above him. This contrasts with 2024, when he quickly softened his remarks about Pogačar being faster. - The possibility of a historic triple (Giro, Tour and Vuelta): During the July Tour de France (where Pogi claimed his fifth title), Merckx stated that Pogi was the only cyclist in history capable of winning all three Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España) in a single season, provided the conditions were right and he had sufficient team support. - Lack of serious competition: Merckx emphasised that Pogačar has no real rivals in the mountains since 2024, thanks to his extraordinary climbing ability and the fact that he continues to improve despite still being under 28 (he turned 28 in autumn 2026). - Praise for his racing style: Merckx highlighted how Pogačar is bringing back the aggressive, uncompromising spirit of cycling's golden era, when races were not merely about calculated stages and tactical conservatism, but about attacking from long distances. PS: This is not "boring" ... this is called making real history, not only statistical history. Capish?PogiSloFans09-11-2026
- It’s off-season mate, I’m bored and fed up with the mediocrity of people unwilling to provoke change when they admit things aren’t right. What have you done lately to make anyone realise you won’t put up with things? What conversation, are you dictating to me which part of the incident I have to be interested in or telling me other parts are taboo? That’s what I guess the UCI would really like, let them moan, let it blow over for them pass on to the next thing, let’s keep the status quo, let’s try our best not reviewing or revealing anything about decision-making just like every time before, they’re used to it by now so we can take the risk they’ll never give us grief.Jumpyjohn09-11-2026
- As far as CUTD headlines go this is far from the worst. It helps if you look at it twice and realise it’s a list of descriptions from distinct events. You can’t deny the reality of being a rival if you consider the picture immediately below, frontrunner is unfortunate but I’m guessing this time it’s more a linguistic failure than a clickbaiting opportunity. Just a reminder that this is not an anglo website, for those who find it too tedious to interpret text to get the gist of things which are rarely of great importance (as opposed to eg purposely biaised DOJ extradition translations in order to achieve hidden agendas), there are plenty of anglo cycling websites google can suggest.Jumpyjohn09-11-2026
- Ah, finally someone willing to be a bit proactive.Jumpyjohn09-11-2026
- So? Do you understand the way instructions, decisions and authority work? Do you think in a football match if after a match (or even after play has gone on) a player tells the referee he did touch the ball with his hands when the referee didn’t award opponents a penalty that they will revise the score or force a replay? You really don’t get my point, it’s not against the rider but everyone here is so emotional for her they can’t get back to an issue which needs resolving for the future and the first step (or maybe second) is to try to understand how and why it happens, none of you have contributed in the least to that. All everyone is interested in is letting everyone know they agree how unjust it was, not even sure anyone thinks that could affect anything.Jumpyjohn09-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment