Brandon McNulty now has a new bike to match the rainbow jersey.
After winning the Elite Men’s Road World Championship in Montréal, McNulty will debut a one-off Colnago Y1Rs at the Giro dell’Emilia this Saturday. The bike takes the usual World Champion colors. However, this time the design team works them into a much darker treatment than the traditional white-and-rainbow setup.
And no, Colnago isn’t selling this one (yet).
McNulty’s World Champion Y1Rs
The frame starts with a glossy black carbon finish with fine glitter mixed into the paint. Colnago says the small points of light are a nod to the stars on the American flag, tying the bike back to McNulty and Team USA.
The rainbow colors are laid over that black base in large blocks rather than simple bands. Blue, red, yellow, and green run across the frame and rear stays, giving the bike a sharper look than the usual World Champion treatment.
Montréal Gets Its Own Details
The smaller details are where the bike gets more personal. Turn the bars and the headset cover reveals the date of McNulty’s World Championship win, along with an ace of clubs and a maple leaf. The maple leaf represents Canada and Montréal, where McNulty rode away from the field to take the title.
Colnago says the full design pulls together the rainbow jersey, McNulty’s American identity, the brand’s history, and the city where he became World Champion.
A Rainbow Bike Earned From 32km Out
McNulty won the Elite Men’s road race after attacking with 32km remaining and holding off the chase all the way to the finish. It was a nail-biter, and all the favorites were in the chase.
He 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 American man to win the Elite Road World Championship in 33 years.
The win also came 10 years after McNulty took the Junior Men’s Road World Championship in 2016. Finally – he gets the bike that comes with the jersey.
Why the Y1Rs?
Colnago built the World Champion treatment around the Y1Rs, the aero-focused race bike McNulty rides with UAE Team Emirates-XRG. The Y1RS has been the team’s go-to bike for nearly every tour and race this season. It only seems fitting that it would be the first to get the World Champion paint job.
This announcement is about the frame and paint, not a new build, so expect McNulty’s race setup to stay in line with the team equipment he’s already been using. The difference is that spotting him in the bunch just got a lot easier.
Sorry, You Can’t Buy It
McNulty’s World Champion Y1Rs is a true one-off.
Colnago says the special paint job was created exclusively for McNulty and will not be offered for sale. So if you were hoping for a limited run of rainbow Y1Rs frames, bad news. This one belongs to the World Champion.
