“The Giro was a big turning point” - Brandon McNulty credits Giro d’Italia stage win with turnaround in form

Having started the season strongly with the overall victory at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and a stage win in the time trial at the UAE Tour, Brandon McNulty now finds himself in the overall lead of Paris-Nice going into the final two stages of the race.

The American rider is part of a very strong UAE Team Emirates squad, with incredibly talented GC riders such as Juan Ayuso, Adam Yates and Tadej Pogačar often leading the team ahead of him in the big races. However, his recent performances now allow him to stake a claim to more leadership opportunities this season.

McNulty credits his victory on stage 15 of last year’s Giro d’Italia for his recent success, as it marked the first Grand Tour stage win of his career, having fallen just short in previous participations at the major three-week races.

In an interview with Cycling Weekly, McNulty acknowledged the importance of that victory, as he stated that “the Giro was a big turning point, of course, getting a first Grand Tour win is so big for anyone so that day was super super special”.

After a couple of missed opportunities, it is clear to see why that win gave him such a big boost in confidence, as he went on to say that “it just seemed like it was slipping away, that Grand Tour win, I just kept getting sick with one thing or another but yeah, I still pulled it off and turned everything around last year”.