Brandon McNulty didn't have the modern accoutrements of a power-meter and heart-rate monitor for reference during his stirring solo raid at the Trofeo Calvia last month and the emphatic manner of victory in his first race of the season begged a rather old-fashioned question. A win is a win, of course, but did any part of him worry that he had hit form too early in the year?
"I think it's possible, but these days it's never too early to take a win," McNulty said in Portimão on Wednesday ahead of the opening stage of the Volta ao Algarve. "I'll take them when they come and take advantage of good form at any time of the year."
McNulty was prominent across his first two seasons at UAE Team Emirates, catching the eye at Paris-Nice last year and then leading for three days at Itzulia Basque Country, but his victory in Mallorca was his first since he landed the Giro di Sicilia in Rally colours back in 2019.
While the power-meter – when attached and charged – demonstrated consistent progress across his WorldTour tenure to date, McNulty acknowledged that a trip to the podium and a line in the palmarès offered more tangible proof of his development to the outside world.
"There's definitely some extra confidence for me. I've been super close in the last two years to a victory, so it was good to finally pull it off and kind of see what it feels like," said McNulty, who followed up that early victory with 4th place at the Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana and 2nd to Alejandro Valverde in the sprint at Trofeo Pollença - Port d'Andratx.
"I was also close on a couple of other days this year already, so I definitely have more confidence coming into this year, just being at the front of the races and whatnot. It's exciting for me."
McNulty lines up at this week's Volta ao Algarve among the favourites for overall honours, not least because of his aptitude against the watch. As well as the traditional uphill finales at the Alto da Fóia and Alto do Malhão, the race includes a time trial on stage 4, which is of notable length – 32.2km – for this early point in the season. Few riders will have spent many hours on their low-profile bikes in the opening weeks of the year, but McNulty reconnoitered the road from Vila Real de Santo António to Tavira on Tuesday.
"It's pretty tricky, there's a big climb and the descent off the climb is quite technical and fast, so it's more than just pure power, I think," said McNulty. "[The length] is not really a surprise, it's just part of the race and I'm happy to have it. To have some more race kilometres on a time trial bike, that's good for me."
Tour and Vuelta
McNulty is UAE Team Emirates' lone leader in the Algarve, and he will have further opportunities to chase stage race honours later in the spring. He will return with ambition to Paris-Nice, where he lay third overall last year until forced out by a crash on stage 6, and he is also pencilled in to lead his team at the Tour de Romandie.
"Paris-Nice, the Basque Country and Romandie are all kind of objectives," said McNulty. "I want to have a good early season and then a break before I focus on the Grand Tours, the Tour and Vuelta at the end of the year. It's going to be a good season."
McNulty placed 13th overall on his Grand Tour debut on the 2020 Giro d'Italia and he rode last year's Tour as part of the praetorian guard that helped Tadej Pogačar to overall victory. In 2022, McNulty will hope to enjoy some personal freedom on the Vuelta after spending July on domestique duty, although much will depend on Pogačar, who is also racing two Grand Tours in the same season for the first time.
"I think if the Tour goes well, the team will be in a good position to give other guys freedom and race how we want. But a lot of things have to go well, so it's easier said than done," said McNulty, who is aware that Pogačar, a generational talent, is at the centre of the firmament at UAE Team Emirates.
"I think it's something you've got to accept. And just to be in the Tour de France and on the team that's going for a third win in a row, it's quite an honour. It's not something many people get to do in their careers. And for me it's still special to be a part of someone winning the Tour."
In the meantime, McNulty can only make the most of the opportunities that fall his way, beginning this week in Portugal. Thursday's summit finish at the Alto da Fóia, where Pogačar announced himself as a professional in 2019, will be the first major rendezvous for the general classification contenders.
"I think it will be interesting," McNulty said. "I've never done the race, so I don't know it personally, but there's two tough climbs at the end. It will be super aggressive and we're looking forward to it."
