Brandon McNulty (Phoenix, Arizona, USA; UAE Team Emirates-XRG) is the 2026 Elite Men’s Road World Champion.
A World Champion – 33 Years In The Making
McNulty attacked with 32km to go in Montréal and never came back (though the gap to the chase group was about 10 sec at one point). The American crossed the line 13 seconds ahead of Michael Matthews (AUS; Team Jayco AlUla) and Mathieu van der Poel (NED; Alpecin-Premier Tech), becoming the first U.S. rider to win the Elite Men’s Road World Championship since 1993.
It was also a huge day for Team USA. Quinn Simmons (USA; Lidl-Trek) finished fourth, while Matteo Jorgenson (USA; Team Visma | Lease a Bike) took eighth, putting three Americans inside the top 10.
An absolutely huge day for U.S. road racing, especially after a U23 men’s win in a very similar fashion.
How Did McNulty Make His Move?
The Elite Men’s World Championship race course covered 273km with 3,578 meters of climbing (169.6 miles, with 11,739 feet of climbing for our Americans), starting in Brossard before heading into Montréal, then completing 12 laps of the finishing circuit around Mount Royal.
The race began to break apart with 87km remaining when Wout van Aert (BEL; Team Visma | Lease a Bike) attacked and drew out a strong group that included Van der Poel, Simmons, Primož Roglič (SLO; Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Anthon Charmig (DEN; Uno-X Mobility), and Oscar Onley (GBR; Netcompany INEOS).
Van der Poel pushed the pace again, eventually leaving Simmons and Onley with him before Roglič bridged across. Ben Healy (IRL; EF Education-EasyPost) later made the connection, while Isaac del Toro (MEX; UAE Team Emirates-XRG) helped bring the chase back into play.
McNulty Went Clear
With 32km remaining, he attacked and quickly found his rhythm. For those that don’t know, McNulty was a Jr. TT World Champion and can motor on the flats. That said, the gap stretched past a minute with two laps to go, while the riders behind kept attacking one another instead of forming a clean chase. Plus, along with every attack, there was a Team USA rider slotting in as a third wheel, just enough to throw off any chase rhythm
Remco Evenepoel (BEL; Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) tried to get across before the final lap, but McNulty still carried 52 seconds into the last circuit.
Tom Pidcock (GBR; Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) cut the gap to 32 seconds at the base of the Polytechnique climb, while Van der Poel and Mauro Schmid (SUI; Team Jayco AlUla) also tried to break clear. That was where Jorgenson became especially important.
With McNulty up the road, Jorgenson marked the attacks behind and made the chase harder to organize. Every acceleration that got covered bought McNulty a little more time. He used every second of it.
Team USA Played It Right
The Americans had riders in the right places from far out.
Simmons followed the dangerous move with Van Aert and Van der Poel, keeping Team USA represented near the front. Once the race came back together, McNulty attacked, and Jorgenson stayed behind to cover.
“We made a plan last night,” Jorgenson said after the race. “We set our egos aside a little bit, and we decided we just wanted an American to win this race.” That plan worked about as well as it could have.
Simmons still had enough left to finish fourth, while Jorgenson crossed the line eighth after spending much of the finale riding for McNulty. Three Americans in the top eight at the Elite Men’s World Championship is the kind of result Team USA has been waiting a long time for.
2026 Elite Men’s Road World Championship Results
- Brandon McNulty (USA; UAE Team Emirates-XRG) — 6:17:04
- Michael Matthews (AUS; Team Jayco AlUla) — +13
- Mathieu van der Poel (NED; Alpecin-Premier Tech) — +13
- Quinn Simmons (USA; Lidl-Trek) — +13
- Matteo Jorgenson (USA; Team Visma | Lease a Bike) — +14
- Riley Sheehan (USA; NSN Cycling Team) — +10:00
- Larry Warbasse (USA; Tudor Pro Cycling Team) — +15:35
Kevin Vermaerke (USA; UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Artem Schmidt (USA; Netcompany INEOS), and Sean Quinn (USA; EF Education-EasyPost) did not finish.
Does This Mean the U.S. Road Scene Might Come Back?
Maybe, but probably not in the form a lot of us remember.
The days of a packed domestic calendar built around major stage races, NRC events, and deep U.S.-based pro teams may be gone for good. The path for young American riders looks different now, with many of the best prospects heading to Europe earlier and developing inside established trade-team systems instead of spending years racing at home.
That doesn’t mean the pipeline is empty; it’s actually far from it.
The Kids Are Alright
Ashlin Barry (USA; Team Visma | Lease a Bike Development) won the U23 road race in Montréal on his 19th birthday, becoming the first American to win the U23 Men’s Road World Championship. He was part of a strong U23 group that also included Gavin Sherry (USA; EF Education-Aevolo), Nathan Cusack (USA; EF Education-Aevolo), Kade Kreikemeier (USA; Meridian Racing), and Marcis Shelton (USA; Comp Edge Racing).
The junior ranks are worth watching, too. Enzo Hincapie (USA; grenke-Auto Eder), Kashus Adamski (USA; Hot Tubes Cycling), and Cormac Nigal (USA; Hot Tubes Cycling) were all part of the U.S. Worlds roster in Montréal. These teams give the next wave of American riders a chance to race at the highest level before moving into the U23 ranks.
So maybe U.S. road racing doesn’t come back as another Tour of California (though we’d love to see it), Tour de Georgia, or a calendar packed with big domestic stage races. The next version looks more like: young American riders getting international experience earlier, moving into strong development programs, and arriving at the WorldTour better prepared.
McNulty in rainbow stripes, Simmons fourth, Jorgenson eighth, Barry winning U23 Worlds, and another strong group of juniors coming behind them won’t bring back the old U.S. road scene. But it does give American road racing a reason to be hopeful.
