Brandon McNulty will give the rainbow jersey its first outing at the Giro dell’Emilia on Saturday, 3 October.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG confirmed the American’s schedule after his victory in the elite men’s road race at the UCI World Championships. McNulty won last Sunday with a 33km solo attack, becoming the first American man in 33 years to take the title.
The Giro dell’Emilia opens a short run of Italian one-day races for the new world champion. He is also due to ride Sunday’s Coppa Agostini and Tre Valle Varesine on Tuesday, 6 October.
McNulty is then expected to line up at Il Lombardia on 10 October. The race is the final Monument of the season and would extend his first week in the rainbow bands.
Rainbow jersey debut starts Italian campaign
McNulty said he was excited to race in the jersey for the first time. He described the World Championships win in Montreal as a major moment and said he was still absorbing it.
The 28-year-old added that his season still includes plenty of racing. UAE Team Emirates-XRG will bring a strong squad to the Italian races, with McNulty saying the team plans to stay aggressive.
His world title also brings a new public role inside one of the sport’s most dominant teams. Since joining UAE in 2020, McNulty has taken more than 20 individual victories.
Even so, he has often worked as a climbing domestique for Tadej Pogačar, the five-time Tour de France winner. McNulty said the rainbow jersey is an honour, but it does not change his approach.
He said he knows his role well, whether that means attacking or supporting teammates. He also pointed to the squad’s understanding of the methods that have brought success.
UAE brings strong team to Bologna finale
McNulty will race the Giro dell’Emilia alongside Igor Arrieta, Filippo Baroncini, Felix Großschartner, Jhonatan Narváez, Tim Wellens and Adam Yates.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG has won the last two editions of the race. Isaac del Toro took the 2025 victory, after Pogačar won the 2024 edition.
The team has not yet announced a racing return for Pogačar. The Slovenian, who preceded McNulty as world champion, crashed out of the Vuelta a España at the end of August.
Pogačar missed the World Championships and will also skip his European Championships title defence this Sunday. He is prioritising recovery from neck and collarbone fractures, although he has returned to outdoor training.
The Giro dell’Emilia is a 1.Pro-ranked event in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region. The race covers 197.9km and finishes in Bologna.
The closing circuit features five ascents of the San Luca climb. The finish line sits at the top, making the race a demanding first test for McNulty in the rainbow jersey.
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