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Brandon McNulty won the men's elite road race at the UCI Road World Championships in Montreal on Sept. 27, 2026, becoming the first American to take the title since Lance Armstrong in 1993.
Brandon McNulty won the men's elite road race at the UCI Road World Championships in Montreal on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, becoming the first American to claim the elite road race world title since Lance Armstrong in 1993.
McNulty Wins Montreal Road Race
The 28-year-old attacked with 33 kilometres remaining and held on to finish in six hours, 17 minutes and four seconds. McNulty crossed the line in 6:17:04, 13 seconds ahead of the chase group. Australia's Michael Matthews took silver, while Mathieu van der Poel of the Netherlands claimed bronze. American Quinn Simmons finished in a three-way tie for second place alongside Matthews and van der Poel, 13 seconds back of McNulty.
McNulty struggled on the last significant climb and saw his advantage shrink to 10 seconds with 10 kilometres left, but none of the chasers could capitalise. Van der Poel led an attack with 6.8 kilometres remaining, but it fizzled out. Reflecting on the victory, McNulty said he could not believe it until the final 300 metres and that he was dying but kept pushing. He added that he was at a loss for words.
Team Support and Race Challenges
He also praised his team, saying they had said for weeks that they had a super strong team and that it was possible, and that they rode crazy well, marked everything and had guys ahead. McNulty had not been among the pre-race favourites, unlike former world champion Remco Evenepoel or young talents Isaac del Toro and Paul Seixas. He won the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal last season, and also took victory at the 2025 Montreal Cycling Grand Prix.
The absence of two-time defending champion Tadej Pogacar, who is recovering from a crash he suffered last month, left the field open. Without the Slovenian, the race was chaotic and unpredictable throughout the 273.4-kilometre course, which included 12 laps of a 13.4-kilometre circuit packed with enthusiastic fans. French rider Paul Seixas, an ascending 20-year-old who won bronze in the men's elite individual time trial on Day 1 last Sunday, sustained an apparent injury in the final stretch.
Canadian Finishes and American Milestone
He fell back to 15th and finished in 6:19:51. The Canadian contingent entered without Derek Gee-West, who announced his withdrawal from the race on Tuesday to continue recovering from a broken rib sustained at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal on Sept. 13. Michael Leonard of Oakville, Ont. , was the top Canadian, finishing 32nd in 6:23:43.
Michael Woods of Ottawa came in 35th in 6:23:52 in his final race for the national team, while Nickolas Zukowsky of Sainte-Lucie-des-Laurentides, Que. , posted 6:23:57 to finish 45th. Canadian cyclist Vallieres Mill exited the women's elite road race at the worlds after a crash during her title defence. Lance Armstrong, whose 1993 victory in Oslo had been the last American elite road race world title, congratulated McNulty on social media.
Armstrong posted that McNulty's win was hands down the most exciting race of the year and a deserved winner, calling it a thing of beauty. McNulty's triumph marks a significant milestone for American cycling, ending a 33-year wait for a male elite road race world champion. The men's road event capped seven days of competition in Montreal, where 1,000 athletes from 100 countries vied for 13 world titles. The race concluded the UCI Road World Championships in Montreal.
CBC 
CP24:American Brandon McNulty claims men's road race world title in Montreal 
CTVNews:American Brandon McNulty claims men's road race world title in Montreal 
CTVToronto:American Brandon McNulty claims men's road race world title in MontrealThis story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Brandon Mcnulty UCI Road World Championships Montreal Lance Armstrong Michael Matthews Matthew Van Der Poel USA Cycling Montreal Cycling Elite Road Race American Cycling
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