Brandon McNulty gives Team USA a second elite men’s Worlds option as the United States targets its longest road title drought.
The American squad enters Sunday’s UCI Road World Championships road race in Montréal with rare depth. Quinn Simmons carries the louder billing after a breakthrough season and strong Canadian classics ride. Yet McNulty has arrived with form, local confidence, and a skill set built for attrition.
McNulty opened the Montréal worlds with fourth in Sunday’s elite men’s time trial. He averaged 50.79 kph across the 39.2km course and missed bronze by 12 seconds.
That result followed another strong Montréal performance earlier this month. McNulty finished third behind UAE Emirates XRG teammate Isaac del Toro and French teenager Paul Seixas.
He also won the 2025 Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal. Tadej Pogačar attacked from the elite selection, then waited for his UAE Emirates XRG teammate. Pogačar effectively handed him the victory, but McNulty still had to survive the decisive acceleration.
Brandon McNulty suits a long Montréal test
Sunday’s road race covers 273km and starts in Brossard before reaching Montréal. Riders then face 12 demanding laps around Mount Royal.
The route includes repeated climbs and more than 3,700m of elevation gain. It should favor riders who can climb, time trial, and still hit hard after six hours.
That profile fits McNulty, who tends to race without Simmons’ obvious aggression. The 28-year-old often follows the right move before striking late.
McNulty was the junior world time trial champion in 2016. Simmons, by contrast, won the junior road world title in 2019 and finished ninth at the 2024 Worlds in Zurich.
Simmons remains an obvious focal point for the American team. He attacks freely, commits early, and has already shown he can handle championship distance.
McNulty offers something different. His climbing base, sustained power, and recent Montréal results give the United States another credible card.
He said after the time trial that the ride showed his preparation was working. He also said the team would need to race aggressively against stronger rivals.
United States brings depth to chase a rare rainbow jersey
The American men have not won the elite road world title since Lance Armstrong took the rainbow jersey in Oslo in 1993. Greg LeMond won the race in 1983 and 1989.
Ending that drought would require more than one protected rider. Team USA appears equipped for that challenge.
Matteo Jorgenson, Kevin Vermaerke, Sean Quinn, Artem Shmidt, Riley Sheehan, and Larry Warbasse complete the eight-rider selection. The group gives the United States climbing support, endurance, and tactical options.
Vermaerke recently told Cyclingnews that the roster gives the U.S. its best chance since 1993. He pointed to eight strong riders, each with a clear job.
Jorgenson gives the team another rider suited to monument-plus distance. Sheehan could matter if the race comes back together for a reduced sprint.
Neilson Powless is not in the lineup after recently pulling out of Montréal. Powless finished fifth in Leuven in 2021, the best American men’s elite road race result in two decades.
North America is hosting the road worlds for only the fifth time. That adds another layer to a rare opportunity for the American men.
Simmons may draw the most attention when the attacks begin on Mount Royal. But McNulty already knows how to win in Montréal, and he arrives with proof of condition.
If the 33-year wait ends Sunday, Team USA may not need its loudest card to deliver it.
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