Brandon McNulty did not start the race as one of the favourites. Six hours later, he was the world champion.

The 28-year-old from Phoenix, Arizona, won the men’s road race at the cycling world championships in Montreal on Sunday, September 27. The race was 273.4 kilometres (about 170 miles) long, and the riders went around a 13.4-kilometre loop through the city 12 times, with fans cheering along the roads. McNulty finished in 6 hours, 17 minutes, and 4 seconds.

He made his move with a little more than 30 kilometres to go. He rode away from the group on his own and built a lead of 50 seconds. On the last lap, the riders behind him started to close the gap, and with 10 kilometres left, he was only 10 seconds ahead. But they never caught him. McNulty crossed the finish line 13 seconds before Michael Matthews of Australia. Mathieu van der Poel of the Netherlands was third.

“I’m really at a loss for words,” McNulty said. He added that he did not believe he had won until the last 300 metres. He had known it would take a miracle, he said, and on this day, he got one.

For most of the year, McNulty races for a professional team, UAE Team Emirates, where his main job is to help its leader, Tadej Pogačar of Slovenia, one of the best riders in the world. In big races such as the Tour de France, helpers like McNulty often ride just in front of their leader, blocking the wind so the leader can save energy for the final kilometres. At the world championships, though, cyclists race for their countries, much like soccer players at the World Cup, and in Montreal, McNulty rode for the United States. Pogačar celebrated his teammate’s win on Instagram, calling him “The King of Montreal.”

Before the race, experts named other riders, such as Remco Evenepoel and Isaac del Toro, as the favourites. But McNulty knew Montreal well. Last year, he won the Montreal Grand Prix, another big race on the city’s streets, and Pogačar finished second. This time, McNulty became the first American man in 33 years to win the world title.

For Canadian fans, the day had a goodbye in it, too. Michael Woods of Ottawa finished 35th in what was his last race for Canada’s national team. The world championships brought about 1,000 athletes from 100 countries to Montreal over seven days.

Sources: Reuters, The Associated Press, The Canadian Press

Few experts picked Brandon McNulty to win in Montreal. Six hours later, he was world champion.

The 28-year-old from Phoenix, Arizona, won the men’s road race at the UCI Road World Championships on Sunday, September 27. The course covered 273.4 kilometres (about 170 miles): 12 laps of a 13.4-kilometre circuit through the city, with fans lining the roads. McNulty finished in 6 hours, 17 minutes, and 4 seconds.

He went clear of the leading group a little more than 30 kilometres from the finish and had built a 50-second lead by the start of the final lap. The chasers cut that to 10 seconds with 10 kilometres left, but they could not close the last gap. McNulty crossed the line 13 seconds ahead of Australia’s Michael Matthews, with Mathieu van der Poel of the Netherlands in third. Two other Americans also finished in the top 10, Quinn Simmons in fourth and Matteo Jorgenson in eighth.

“I’m really at a loss for words,” McNulty said, adding that he did not believe he had won until the final 300 metres. He had known it would take a miracle, he said, and on that day, one happened.

For most of the season, McNulty rides for UAE Team Emirates, where his main job is to support Tadej Pogačar of Slovenia, one of the best riders in the world. In races such as the Tour de France, that means sheltering his leader from the wind so Pogačar can save his strength for the moments that decide a race. At the world championships, cyclists compete for their countries instead, and McNulty raced alongside seven American teammates, whom he thanked on Instagram afterwards. Pogačar, for his part, hailed McNulty as “The King of Montreal.”

Pre-race predictions had focused on riders such as Remco Evenepoel, Isaac del Toro, and Paul Seixas. Yet McNulty had a strong record of his own. He won a junior world title 10 years ago, has taken stage wins at the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España, and a year ago he won the Montreal Grand Prix on the city’s streets, with Pogačar in second. He is the first American man in 33 years to win the world road race title.

The race also brought a farewell for Canada. Michael Woods of Ottawa, who finished 35th, was riding his last race for the national team, while Michael Leonard of Oakville, Ontario, was the top Canadian in 32nd. The men’s road race closed seven days of competition that brought about 1,000 athletes from 100 countries to Montreal to compete for 13 world titles.

Sources: Reuters, The Associated Press, The Canadian Press