Biggest Cycling Upsets of 2026 as Brandon McNulty Shocks the World in Montreal

Nobody chased. That was the astonishing part. With 32km of a 273km world championship left, Brandon McNulty rolled clear of an elite selection including Isaac del Toro, Paul Seixas, Tom Pidcock, Mathieu van der Poel, and Michael Matthews, and the favorites simply looked at each other and let it happen. 

Without the injured Tadej Pogačar, Montréal had felt wide open. Online betting sites agreed with the consensus. Del Toro had won the GP de Montréal on these same Mount Royal roads a fortnight earlier, prompting the popular Lucky Rebel Sportsbook to install him as a 4/1 rainbow jersey third-favorite behind Mathieu van der Poel and Remco Evenepoel. McNulty, meanwhile, was way out at 50/1. 

Known mainly as Pogačar's lieutenant, the American had abandoned the Tour de France ill on stage 18, then finished fourth in the Worlds time trial, 12 seconds off a medal. In Montréal, he was one of three protected Americans alongside Quinn Simmons and Matteo Jorgenson, and Del Toro wasn't about to tow rivals up to his own UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammate. 

The lead swelled past a minute, then shrank to around ten seconds on the final lap as Pidcock, Giulio Ciccone, and Mauro Schmid attacked. Jorgenson smothered every move, like a maestro conducting from the back, and McNulty would cling on to a famous win by just 13 seconds. 

Matthews took the sprint for silver ahead of Van der Poel, with Simmons fourth, Del Toro fifth, and Jorgenson eighth. It's the first American elite men's title since Lance Armstrong in 1993, a decade after McNulty's junior time trial crown, and UAE's third straight rainbow jersey. For a man caught within sight of an Olympic medal in Tokyo, it was redemption with interest. "Until the last 300 meters, I really didn't even believe it," he said, having run to hug his wife. And it wasn't 2026's only shock.

Everyone came to Roubaix on April 12 for Pogačar, chasing the one Monument missing from his collection, against triple defending champion Van der Poel. Wout Van Aert, his ankle broken at a snowy cyclocross in January, was the sentimental pick. Then the cobbles tore up the script. 

With no early breakaway and a tailwind, the race ran at 48.91 km/h over 258.3km, the fastest Roubaix ever. Pogačar punctured with 120km left; Van der Poel flatted twice in the Arenberg Forest, swapped wheel and bike, and lost two minutes. Pogačar and Van Aert later punctured seconds apart, then rode together for 54km until Van Aert came round in the velodrome, winning in 5:16:52. Jasper Stuyven was third, Van der Poel fourth. 

His first win of the year, second Monument, and Belgium's first Roubaix since Philippe Gilbert in 2019, finally paid off a long redemption arc; Pogačar was runner-up again. An infected elbow wound later ended his Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes after a stage five win and cost him his first Tour since 2018. Then came the Tour of Denmark, two Vuelta stages including Loja, the points jersey, and the combativity award, before he ran out of steam at the Worlds.

Pogačar's first Vuelta since his 2019 debut was meant to be a formality. Enric Mas, runner-up in 2018, 2021 and 2022, arrived after leg surgery and a flat Giro, sharing Movistar's leadership with Cian Uijtdebroeks. Pogačar duly won three stages, though on El Bartolo, Mas shot past him so quickly the Slovenian first took him for an over-eager spectator. "He flew past me like a rocket," Pogačar said. Two days later, leading by 3:50, he crashed on the road to Xeraco, breaking his collarbone and suffering a stable neck fracture.

Refusing to wear the inherited red that evening, Mas won atop the Alto de Aitana the next day. "Now I understand Tadej Pogačar: the red jersey gives you wings," he said. From there, he earned it, beating Primož Roglič by 2:15 and Felix Gall by 2:44 — his first Grand Tour at the 16th attempt, and Spain's first Vuelta since Alberto Contador in 2014. 

Contador declared himself "very happy and incredibly excited." Mas then rode the Worlds for Spain but finished outside the top ten.

Sprint days at this Tour belonged to Tim Merlier, a double stage winner, while Pogačar sat comfortably in yellow. Søren Wærenskjold had been second in Bordeaux, then crashed in the Massif Central and finished at the back at Le Lioran, admitting before the next start that "it's hard for me to brake."

Twenty-four hours later came Vichy to Nevers, 161.3km. A four-man break, including Uno-X's Anthon Charmig, died inside the final six kilometers, Cees Bol jumped clear, leading out Olav Kooij, and Wærenskjold went after him from distance, threading the needle from last to first. Kooij was second; Jasper Philipsen took third, reinstated after the jury overturned a relegation. 

The stage averaged 50.9 km/h over 3:10:06, beating Mario Cipollini's 1999 record of 50.3 km/h. "It means everything; it's my biggest win so far," he said. The general classification didn't budge, but Uno-X, two days in yellow earlier with Torstein Træen, finally had a stage win.