'I hope I made him proud' - New World Champion Brandon McNulty acknowledges absence of two-time winner Tadej Pogačar and keeps rainbows within UAE team

Brandon McNulty allowed himself one last look behind with 50 metres to go on the climb of l'avenue du Parc in Montreal, only then allowing himself to acknowledge he had just won the elite men's road race at the UCI Road World Championships.

The 28-year-old then found his wife Summer and a US flag in the massive crowd, embracing both and trying to grasp what he had just done, for himself and his country.

Teammate Matteo Jorgenson quickly landed a bear hug and yelled, "You just won the Worlds!" Then McNulty seemed to allow a smile to illuminate his face as the feat he had just accomplished almost sank in. His solo sortie of 33km landed the first US road race victory at Road Worlds since Lance Armstrong in 1993.

"It's been an hour now and I still don't believe it," McNulty began in his comments and answers at the post-race press conference.

"Today, I didn't really think the [rainbow] jersey was something that would genuinely happen. Of course, we dreamed and we had hopes, but some days everything comes together.

"I mean, I knew they [chasers] were coming close, and then the gap would grow. And then I know how hard the last 500 meters are from the last corner. I was completely empty. I mean, I was on the verge of cramping; I was on the verge of bonking," he admitted with a wry smile.

"I would sit down and started to cramp. I would stand up and fall because my legs were like noodles. So I really didn't believe it until I could see 50 metres to go and look back and there was no one there. And then I could accept that it had happened.

"I was just completely empty, though. I've never been so empty."

The Arizona native thrives in Montreal. He won the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal last year in a breakaway with UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammate Tadej Pogačar. This year he returned to the GP Montréal and completed the podium behind the aggressive duo of his teammate and winner Isaac del Toro and runner-up Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM). And on Sunday, he won a world title.

One week ago, he finished fourth in the elite time trial, a bit dejected to finish just 12 seconds off the podium. He used that time trial ability on the final Sunday of this Road Worlds to launch his winning attack, a bombshell to his rivals with just under 33km to go. The front of the race had just reshaped into a 12-rider pack, and McNulty took off, using no plan but "instinct".

"It was purely instinct. I knew that from so many years racing here that once the group is small and there's fatigue, they'll tend to hesitate and look at each other. So once it came together, I planned to try to go on one of the flat sections. I think when you go into climbs, everyone expects [attacks], so if you can do a little bit of a surprise, it'll maybe work out. And, yeah, today it worked perfectly," he said.

"I think the gap went pretty quickly. I imagine that they were looking at each other and also that Matteo [Jorgenson] and Quinn [Simmons] were able to neutralise any move. It wasn't pre-planned at all. That was just where it felt right. And today it was right."

McNulty was one of three protected riders on the eight-rider US squad, along with Simmons and Jorgenson. Not only did his teammates cover moves, but they also finished top 10, Simmons fourth and Jorgenson eighth. It was a monumental statement by a team that had only cracked the top 10 six times by five individual riders since Armstrong's title.

This victory at Worlds was not just a milestone for the US, but it now keeps the rainbow jersey in the UAE Team Emirates-XRG family for a third consecutive year, with former winner Pogačar cheering from home as he recovers from a crash in the Vuelta a España. In Montreal, McNulty was congratulated by Mauro Gianetti, the UAE team general manager after the finish.

"Obviously I'm very sad that what happened [crash at Vuelta] is why he's not here; I hate to see anyone crash. This was important to him. I can at least hope I made him proud. I hope he enjoyed watching."

Apparently Pogačar did watch and was proud: "The King of Montreal. Proud of you Brandon McNulty," Pogačar posted to Instagram about the time his teammate accepted the rainbow jersey and gold medal at the awards ceremony.

The 273.4km endurance test opened up with 85km to go once the leaders were on the Montreal finish circuit of 13.4km, completed a dozen times. As Pogačar said, McNulty is the king on this city circuit, who first raced the GP in 2018 as a 20-year-old with Rally Cycling, finishing 16th.

"Every year it's become a more special place. It was always my favourite circuit and then I came years later and we won with Adam [Yates], and then the next time [Pogačar], then I won and last week also with Isaac [del Toro]. I really enjoy racing on the circuit. I enjoy the town and, then today, the crowd was crazy."

He said he was scheduled to start Giro dell'Emilia with UAE Team Emirates-XRG next weekend, and a block of Italian races. Now in rainbows, will Pogačar now work for him?

"I don't know, maybe he will have to ride for me a few days," he laughed. "But I mean, at the end of the day, he's still the best rider. So now it'll be fun riding the front of races and me in the jersey for him.

"We'll probably celebrate a bit [now], but I'm meant to do Emilia and then almost the entire Italian block through Lombardia. So I'm looking forward to it and now to start with the jersey will be special. Hopefully, I can show with decent legs."

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