The 28-year-old completed the 273.4-kilometre race from Brossard to Montreal in six hours, 17 minutes and four seconds after launching a decisive solo attack with about 33 kilometres remaining. Australia’s Michael Matthews took silver 13 seconds behind, while the Netherlands’ Mathieu van der Poel claimed bronze on the same time as Matthews.
McNulty, who rides professionally for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, broke clear from a powerful leading group with roughly two and a half laps left and established an advantage that at one stage exceeded a minute. His margin narrowed sharply as the chasing riders reorganised, but he held enough of a gap on the final ascent towards the finish on Avenue du Parc to secure the rainbow jersey.
The victory made McNulty only the third American man to win the elite world road race. Greg LeMond won the championship in 1983 and 1989 before Armstrong’s victory in Oslo in 1993. McNulty’s triumph therefore ended a 33-year wait for the United States in one of road cycling’s most prestigious one-day races.
McNulty said he had struggled to believe the title was secure even deep into the finishing straight. “Until the last 300 meters, I really didn’t believe it, I was so tired,” he said after the race, adding that he had known victory was possible only if circumstances fell his way.
His success capped a strong championships for McNulty personally. A week earlier, he finished fourth in the elite men’s individual time trial, 12 seconds short of a podium place, before turning to the road race with a United States squad that also included Quinn Simmons and Matteo Jorgenson.
That depth proved significant during an aggressive race. Simmons and Jorgenson repeatedly featured near the front as attacks split the field, allowing the United States to maintain several options before McNulty made the move that ultimately decided the championship. Simmons finished fourth, also 13 seconds behind his team-mate, while Jorgenson was eighth at 14 seconds.
McNulty’s attack came after a series of moves had reduced the contenders to a select group. Rather than wait for the climb or a sprint among the survivors, he accelerated on flatter roads and quickly opened daylight. The chase briefly threatened to erase his advantage as fatigue slowed him, but the American recovered enough ground before the closing kilometres. Matthews then proved fastest from the pursuit group to secure silver, with Van der Poel taking the final podium place and Simmons narrowly missing a medal. McNulty crossed alone before raising his arms beyond the line.
Mexico’s Isaac del Toro finished fifth, one second behind the silver and bronze medallists. Denmark’s Mads Pedersen was sixth and Britain’s Tom Pidcock seventh, with Jorgenson, Italy’s Giulio Ciccone and Ireland’s Ben Healy completing the top 10, all 14 seconds behind McNulty.
The course demanded almost six and a half hours of racing and featured repeated climbs on the Montreal finishing circuit after the opening section from Brossard. An early breakaway built a substantial advantage before the race fragmented as the leading contenders and their teams increased the pace on the circuits.
Van der Poel, the 2023 world road champion, was among the riders who drove the race aggressively, while Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel entered the event seeking to add the road title to the individual time trial crown he had won at the start of the championships. Evenepoel finished 12th, 25 seconds behind McNulty.
Defending champion Tadej Pogacar did not compete in Montreal after injuries sustained during the Vuelta a Espana ended his season. His absence ensured a new champion would be crowned, although the rainbow jersey remains within UAE Team Emirates-XRG through McNulty, one of Pogacar’s regular trade-team colleagues.
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