After just a single day in yellow at
Paris-Nice 2024,
Brandon McNulty has been forced to pass on the leaders jersey to
Luke Plapp following a tough day on stage 4.
"The team were good, we were all together in position it was just a filthy day," McNulty reflects in a post-stage interview with ITV Sport. "The weather, the roads, it was just a super hard day so positioning was important and we were pulling, trying to pull back
Santiago Buitrago and Plapp but we didn't get much help so in the end, they stuck."
Although
UAE Team Emirates started the day in a commanding position with four riders at the top of the GC, time losses for Jay Vine and Finn Fisher-Black have weakened their options somewhat. With Buitrago taking the stage win and moving right back into GC consideration himself as Plapp takes overall lead, McNulty wishes more help was offered in the chase.
"I mean we had the jersey so obviously they were going to be looking to us, but also there's more than just us in the race who want to win the stage or the GC. That's just how it is sometimes," he assesses. "It's hard to say who is the strongest. Buitrago and Plapp were obviously going on the last climb. Then Remco Evenepoel, Primoz Roglic and also Matteo Jorgenson are looking good so it'll be an interesting weekend I think."
UAE showing us why the All-Captains team doesn't work.