An American hadn’t won the World Championships since 1993, and McNulty hadn’t won a race in the entire 2026 season.
Team USA's collective performance was a thing of beauty, a rare victory of pure teamwork. That began with patience. The team correctly calculated that France, Mexico, and Belgium would do a ton of work patrolling the front of the race early, and they let Bruno Armirail shred himself and waited as every one of del Toro's teammates burned themselves out early. Team USA's Kevin Vermaerke told Escape Collective, “The Montreal circuit does its own selecting, so there was no point spending bodies to control it." With 90 kilometers remaining, the USA correctly calculated that someone was going to try and blow the race up, winnowing the big group that had ridden at the front as France and Mexico burnt rider after rider.
The Americans didn't take the bait. Instead, they watched with growing confidence as their biggest rivals all drained themselves. Eventually, van der Poel's insistence on dropping anyone who wouldn't work with him and del Toro's feverish series of accelerations coagulated the group.
It was the perfect moment to attack, and everyone knew it. But who could have gone at that point? Maybe Evenepoel or Pidcock, though they'd be followed. The Americans were the freshest, and in perfect position to pull off the solo raid they'd been waiting all day for. Jorgenson went first, only for del Toro to respond and bring him back. McNulty attacked moments later, when del Toro was still recovering, and the group looked at each other as the Arizonan was given what would turn out to be a fatal gap. He had 33 kilometers to bring it home, a long solo for the rainbow bands.
McNulty wouldn't have gotten away if not for Jorgenson's looming presence. Jorgenson and Simmons (to a certain extent) were both far fresher than anyone else in the elite front group, so everyone knew that chasing McNulty, theoretically the least threatening of the trio, would mean setting up one of the others for a move. Team USA was making everyone dance to their tempo.
It was the perfect moment to attack, and everyone knew it. But who could have gone at that point? Maybe Evenepoel or Pidcock, though they'd be followed. The Americans were the freshest, and in perfect position to pull off the solo raid they'd been waiting all day for. Jorgenson went first, only for del Toro to respond and bring him back. McNulty attacked moments later, when del Toro was still recovering, and the group looked at each other as the Arizonan was given what would turn out to be a fatal gap. He had 33 kilometers to bring it home, a long solo for the rainbow bands.
McNulty wouldn't have gotten away if not for Jorgenson's looming presence. Jorgenson and Simmons (to a certain extent) were both far fresher than anyone else in the elite front group, so everyone knew that chasing McNulty, theoretically the least threatening of the trio, would mean setting up one of the others for a move. Team USA was making everyone dance to their tempo.
"It does become like this game of, 'Okay, you're gonna catch me, but you're gonna be completely fucked,'” U.S. team director Mike Creed told EC. “Your fault for chasing me. You make the person pay for chasing you."
Various attempts were made to chase, with Jorgenson hot on the heels of anyone who tried to ride away from the group. McNulty started to falter on the final trip up the Camillien-Houde, and it seemed he'd be caught a few times. Evenepoel had a go, Pidcock and Seixas tried something and got within a few seconds, and Pidcock and Giulio Ciccone came very close before their fragile partnership dissolved. It did so under pressure of Jorgenson. He more or less forced them to choose between handing McNulty the title or handing it to him. They opted for passivity, and now Brandon McNulty is a most unlikely world champ.
This isn't so much because of his talent, but more so because of his role. McNulty is a domestique, usually gutting himself to set Pogacar and del Toro up, putting in massive shifts at the front of hard races and riding in minutes later, after one of his superstar teammates has won. His victory represents a collective triumph for the USA. Jorgenson and Simmons each could have raced differently and been in with real chances to win, yet they sacrificed probably their only real chances to become world champ to make sure McNulty got the win. Only one rider can wear the rainbow bands, but it took everyone to make Brandon McNulty a champion.
This isn't so much because of his talent, but more so because of his role. McNulty is a domestique, usually gutting himself to set Pogacar and del Toro up, putting in massive shifts at the front of hard races and riding in minutes later, after one of his superstar teammates has won. His victory represents a collective triumph for the USA. Jorgenson and Simmons each could have raced differently and been in with real chances to win, yet they sacrificed probably their only real chances to become world champ to make sure McNulty got the win. Only one rider can wear the rainbow bands, but it took everyone to make Brandon McNulty a champion.
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