Brandon McNulty is the first American in 33 years to win the elite road race at the World Road Cycling Championships.
McNulty attacked from an eight-man leading group with 20 miles left of the 170-mile course in Montreal and held on to win by 13 seconds over Australian Michael Matthews.
“Until the last 300 meters, I really didn’t believe it, I was so tired,” said McNulty, who will have the honor of wearing the rainbow jersey in races around the world over the next year. “I knew something could happen, but it would take a miracle. I guess today miracles happen.”
Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel took bronze, also 13 seconds back, on Sunday.
McNulty’s lead grew to more than one minute with about 10 miles left, then was brought down to about 10 seconds before he upped it back to 34 seconds with four miles to go.
McNulty, a 28-year-old from Phoenix, became the third U.S. man to win the road race at worlds after Greg LeMond (1983, ’89) and Lance Armstrong (1993), who was the last American man to win a medal of any color in the event.
🌈🇺🇸 BRANDON MCNULTY 🇺🇸🌈
— UCI (@UCI_cycling) September 27, 2026
Unbelievable scenes as the American claims the 2026 Men Elite UCI Road World Championships title 🤯
Just WOW! 👏#Montréal2026 pic.twitter.com/jXjh5EOKIe
McNulty was previously fourth in the time trial at worlds last Sunday, 12 seconds from becoming the first U.S. male medalist in that event in 14 years.
McNulty is best known as one of five-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar’s top teammates on UAE Team Emirates XRG. His best Grand Tour finish was ninth in the 2025 Giro d’Italia, his most recent Grand Tour finish. He dropped out of the 2026 Tour de France during stage 18 due to illness.
He had the top U.S. men’s road cycling finishes at the last two Olympics — fifth in the time trial in Paris and sixth in the road race in Tokyo.
The last American man to win an Olympic road cycling medal was Levi Leipheimer in 2008 (time trial bronze). An American man has won an Olympic road race medal twice -- Alexi Grewal’s gold at the 1984 Los Angeles Games and Carl Schutte’s bronze in 1912.
Belgian Remco Evenepoel, who finished 12th on Sunday, was bidding to become the first male cyclist to sweep world titles in the road race and the time trial in the same year.
Evenepoel previously won world titles in the road race in 2022, plus in the time trial in 2023, 2024 and 2025. He was also runner-up in the road race in 2025, when Pogacar denied Evenepoel’s sweep bid.
Slovenia’s Pogacar missed these worlds after sustaining season-ending injuries in a Vuelta a Espana crash on Aug. 29.
In Saturday’s women’s road race, Demi Vollering of the Netherlands earned her first world title, adding to her Tour de France and Giro d’Italia victories in 2026.
After 4 hours, 45 minutes on the roads, Vollering outsprinted Poland’s Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney, who is married to U.S. Olympian Taylor Phinney.
The top American was 2024 Olympic road race gold medalist Kristen Faulkner in 21st.
World Road Cycling Championships 2026 Men’s Road Race Results
Gold: Brandon McNulty (USA) — 6:17:04
Silver: Michael Matthews (AUS) -- +:13
Bronze: Mathieu van der Poel (NED) -- +:13
4. Quinn Simmons (USA) -- +:13
5. Isaac del Toro (MEX) -- +:14
6. Mads Pedersen (DEN) -- +:14
7. Tom Pidcock (GBR) -- +:14
8. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) -- +:14
9. Giulio Ciccone (ITA) -- +:14
10. Ben Healy (IRL) -- +:10
World Road Cycling Championships 2026 Women’s Road Race Results
Gold: Demi Vollering (NED) -- 4:45:09
Silver: Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (POL) -- +:00
Bronze: Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA) -- +:04
4. Marlen Reusser (SUI) -- +:08
5. Juliette Berthet (FRA) -- +:39
6. Puck Pieterse (NED) -- +1:36
7. Celia Gery (FRA) -- +2:55
8. Dominika Wlodarczyk (POL) -- +4:16
9. Maeva Squiban (FRA) -- +5:48
10. Franziska Koch (GER) -- +5:51
21. Kristen Faulkner (USA) -- +8:34
40. Lauren Stephens (USA) -- +15:31
