Brandon McNulty will line up for the first time as a world champion this Saturday at the Giro dell’Emilia, less than a week after the biggest win of his career. The American’s rainbow jersey debut comes in Bologna on October 3, with the Copa Agostini and Tre Valli Varesine to follow before the end of the season.
McNulty took the title in Montreal on September 27, attacking the leading group with roughly 32 kilometres still to race and holding off a chaotic, hesitant chase to win solo. Michael Matthews edged Mathieu van der Poel for silver, both finishing 13 seconds back. It was the first world road title for an American since Lance Armstrong in 1993, and only the third in history after Armstrong and Greg LeMond.
The 28-year-old from Phoenix, Arizona, says the result still hasn’t fully sunk in. “I’m really excited to debut the rainbow jersey this Saturday. The win in Montreal meant a lot to me and I’m still processing it and letting it sink in,” McNulty said in comments released by UAE Team Emirates-XRG. “I still have many races left this season and I’m really looking forward to them. We have a strong team for these races and we’ll be aggressive as always.”
He was quick to add that the new jersey won’t change how he races within the team. “While I’m honoured to wear the rainbow jersey, that doesn’t change my approach. We’ll keep racing as we always have. Whether attacking or helping my teammates, I know my role well and we have a great understanding of what works, so we’ll keep going that way.”
It will be McNulty’s first appearance in Italy’s end-of-season classics since 2021, his second year with the Emirati team. UAE Team Emirates-XRG will send a strong squad alongside him in Bologna: Igor Arrieta, Filippo Baroncini, Felix Großschartner, Jhonatan Narváez, Tim Wellens and Adam Yates. Tom Pidcock and Giulio Pellizzari are among the riders expected to lead the opposition.
The Giro dell’Emilia has become something of a stronghold for UAE in recent years. Isaac Del Toro won last year’s edition ahead of Pidcock and Lenny Martinez, and the year before that Tadej Pogačar soloed to victory over Pidcock and Davide Piganzoli. Going back over the last six editions, the team has missed the podium only once, a run that makes McNulty’s rainbow debut all the more intriguing for a race first held back in 1909 and now in its 109th edition.
Source: EsCiclismo.com
