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Follow us on GoogleBrandon McNulty has won the World Cycling Championship. After a thrilling race, in which Mathieu van der Poel opened the final with eighty kilometers to go, he proved to be the smartest and rode solo to the rainbow jersey, thanks to disruptive work by Matteo Jorgenson. Silver went to Michael Matthews, and the exhausted Van der Poel finished third.
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We actually haven't quite recovered from the amazing women's race yet. The Dutch team pulled out all the stops for Demi Vollering. Her attack failed, but the team leader showed tremendous resilience and beat Kasia Niewiadoma in the sprint to claim her first world title. A phenomenal feat.
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Without the injured Tadej Pogačar at the start, a completely different race scenario was logically expected beforehand. After all, the Slovenian's absence meant that Remco Evenepoel and 'youngsters' Isaac del Toro and Paul Seixas could count themselves among the three absolute top favorites, although logically one also had to take into account the in-form Mathieu van der Poel. Could the Dutchman do anything against the better climbing riders in the peloton? There were also numerous…
Girmay and Leknessund among the large World Championships breakaway group
Shortly after the official starting signal was given and the riders were released from the ‘neutralisation cage’, a flurry of attacks began. Initially, this made little difference, but at a certain point, the breakaway took hold. No fewer than sixteen riders managed to break away from the peloton. In that sixteen-strong leading group, we didn’t see any real favourites, although riders such as Biniam Girmay (Eritrea), Andreas Leknessund (Norway) and Felix Engelhardt (Germany) were present.
The group of sixteen managed to build up a decent lead. In the peloton, it was mainly riders from Belgium (Evenepoel), the Netherlands (Van der Poel), Great Britain (Tom Pidcock) and Mexico (Del Toro) who jointly led the chase. They did, however, allow the lead to grow somewhat in the early stages, as the brave leaders at one point had built up a lead of over eight minutes. At that stage, though, there were still around 200 kilometres to go…
With around 165 kilometres still to go – actually just as the twelve local laps in Montréal finally came into view – the French, who had kept fairly quiet in the hours leading up to that point, decided they’d had enough. Led by good old Bruno Armirail, the pace was ramped up significantly, with the result that a substantial chunk was immediately taken out of the leaders’ lead. It also meant that at the back of the peloton the door was wide open and many were forced to drop back.
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Armirail tightens the screw on the peloton; the leading group falls apart
Pace-setter Armirail personally inflicted the necessary damage. In no time at all, the lead held by the front-runners – who had clearly embarked on a futile struggle – dwindled to under five minutes. And most of the gruelling laps were still to come! Even before the race had reached the halfway point, it already seemed inevitable that the World Championships in North America would serve up a very tasty finale.
Entering Montréal therefore immediately provided the necessary momentum. On the one hand, the leading group was completely torn apart – Girmay and Leknessund, amongst others, proved they were among the strongest and remained with a group of about six or seven riders. On the other hand, the favourites’ group was also thinning out steadily, with one rider after another having to throw in the towel (and yes, that was all down to Armirail in the first instance!).
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France catches the breakaway riders by the scruff of the neck – who’s stirring things up?
Around 110 kilometres from the finish, the remaining breakaway riders – suddenly much faster than might have been anticipated – were already like a bird in front of a cat. This created a new race scenario, and for the group of favourites, the score was effectively reset to zero. The breakaway had been caught – time to start afresh with a clean slate, along with those still in the mix; that was the state of play. Who, oh who, would be the first to stir things up?
The answer came, but it was multifaceted. Several riders tried their luck with an attack but failed in their attempt. And then, suddenly, there was Van der Poel at the front of the peloton! Remarkably, MVDP had already briefly poked his nose out, albeit briefly. Was it to shake things up a bit? The real answer came not much later, when Van der Poel, with firm pedal strokes, indeed launched a genuine acceleration.
Van der Poel and Van Aert put on a show, alongside Roglic, Simmons, Charmig and Onley
With playful ease, the figurehead of Dutch cycling rode towards the breakaway group that had just formed. In his wake, Van Aert, together with a few other riders (including Primož Roglic), attempted to make a similar move. They succeeded, resulting in a strong group at the front. However, it was Van Aert who soon shifted up a gear once again. This resulted in a breakaway: together with Van der Poel, Charmig (Denmark), Roglic (Slovenia), Simmons (United States) and Onley (Great Britain), he formed the leading sextet.
That sextet built up a healthy lead: in no time at all, they had gained half a minute. In short: the teamwork was excellent. When Del Toro realised this, he decided to launch a counter-attack. He took riders such as Evenepoel, Ciccone, Jorgenson, Ayuso, Seixas and Healy in his wake. Big names, though it took them a while to catch up with the front-runners, who were still working well together.
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Van der Poel keeps attacking, whilst Belgium (Van Aert and Evenepoel) are having an off day
Despite the good teamwork, Van der Poel couldn’t resist making yet another break. He did so with gusto, as only Onley and Simmons could keep up with his pace. Van Aert, Roglic and Charmig were left to chase. What on earth was going on, with over 70 kilometres still to go?! Of the three mentioned, it was the Slovenian who showed remarkable resilience and, on his own, made the break to join the leading trio. You guessed it: we ended up with a quartet at the front.
Van Aert and Charmig were left a bit in limbo, whilst the Seixas group couldn’t really close the gap either. Healy and Pidcock made the occasional attempt, but their breakaways didn’t really get off the ground either. For Belgium, it turned out to be a black day on the race front shortly afterwards anyway: Van Aert quickly dropped back, as did Evenepoel, who was having anything but a good day. The ‘Aerodynamic Bullet’ Van Schepdaal struggled to keep up with the Seixas group at all.
Simmons and Roglic follow Van der Poel, but the Del Toro group makes a comeback after all
Many a cycling journalist ran out of ink trying to describe everything that happened next. To cut a long story short: Van der Poel was being Van der Poel, which meant he kept attacking time and again. And whilst riders in the chasing groups were just looking at one another, the Van der Poel group – apart from his bursts of speed – always worked together seamlessly. With another burst of speed from Van der Poel, he dropped Onley, leaving him at the front with just Simmons and Roglic. And there were still 50 kilometres to go…
The final hour of racing was bound to be a nail-biter. And so it proved. The tension was palpable and the gaps between the Van der Poel group and the other groups were fluctuating wildly. Thanks to some immense bursts of pace from the chasing pack, the battle was ultimately decided in favour of the chasers, who suddenly closed in on Van der Poel and co at breakneck speed. That meant – and not everyone had expected this – another merger. Back to square one!
McNulty launches a perfectly timed attack
The tension rose to an absolute boiling point, with all the top favourites present and everyone watching each other. And that, of all times, was the moment for time-trialist McNulty to make his move. It turned out to be perfect timing, as the top riders kept watching each other and his lead, within the blink of an eye, grew to one minute. Was his victory, with two laps to go, already sealed?
Pidcock was still up for it, though, and pushed on up the climb. Del Toro and Van der Poel found it tough, but managed to get back into the race later on. Who else did the same? Evenepoel! He rejoined the group with about fifteen kilometres to go, but was still a minute behind time trial specialist McNulty.
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McNulty launches a perfectly timed attack
The tension rose to an absolute fever pitch, with all the top favourites present and everyone watching each other. And that, of all times, was the moment for time trialist McNulty to make his move. It turned out to be perfect timing, as the top riders continued to eye each other up and his lead narrowed to one minute in the blink of an eye. Was his victory, with two laps to go, already sealed?
Pidcock was still up for it and pushed on up the climb. Del Toro and Van der Poel found it tough, but managed to rejoin the pack later. Who else made the move? Pedersen and Evenepoel! The latter rejoined the group with about fifteen kilometres to go, and then launched an attack of his own. But the Belgian didn’t have much left in his legs. Fifty seconds with one lap to go? It seemed impossible.
On the final passage up the Camilien-Houde, Pidcock and Ciccone pushed on. The gap narrowed to forty, then thirty, then less. Van der Poel had to give it his all, but managed to stay with them. And suddenly it was down to five riders! But on the flat sections, the pace slowed again. A last-ditch attempt by Van der Poel came to nothing. Mauro Schmid, however, managed to break away from his rivals. Pidcock rode towards him, but with Jorgenson on his wheel.
They gave it their all, but McNulty didn’t slow down and began the final kilometre on his own. The final stretch was hell for the American, but he held on and claimed the title. In the sprint for silver, Michael Matthews was the strongest, ahead of Van der Poel.
Result, 2026 Men's World Cycling Championships
1. Brandon McNulty
2. Michael Matthews
3. Mathieu Van der Poel
5. Isaac del Toro
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David Bavin-HobbsChief Editor
David has been working in the sports & cycling industry for 16 years. Covering racing, business and technology, he has worked in communications for cycling companies, teams, and as a journalist. His proudest achievement is winning the first bike race he ever entered. He hasn't won a race since.
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Latest Comments
- - ¡Qué ilusión para el ciclismo español! If Noval can combine climbing, time trialling and that mental strength, Spain may have another superstar on its hands.davidm08-10-2026
- - I’m still learning the sport—how can someone be the second-youngest WorldTour pro ever if his contract starts in 2027? Does that record depend on his exact birthday and debut date?pedalpowe2908-10-2026
- - “Once-in-a-generation talent” is a huge claim. What power numbers did Noval actually produce in Asturias, and how do they compare with riders of the same age?jeremya08-10-2026
- - The Contador comparisons are exciting, but also a bit premature. Time-trial ability is a major advantage, though the jump from juniors to the WorldTour can be brutal. Hopefully INEOS gives him time to develop rather than expecting instant results.patriciaw08-10-2026
- - Noval’s junior season has been absolutely ridiculous. Winning both world titles and the European time trial title suggests he isn’t just a climber—his versatility could be what separates him from the other big prospects.gearguru3308-10-2026
- Great drama, but the article leans a little too hard into the “what if” angle. Evenepoel still had to recover from a crash and finish the job—credit where it’s due.robert6507-10-2026
- What exactly is a pacer in this situation, and why was Ciccone listening to that information instead of just watching the race? I’m still learning the tactics, but it seems like Scaroni being behind changed everything.andrewf07-10-2026
- The photo finish sounds far too vulnerable to tiny setup errors. If the line is curved and the camera alignment is even slightly off, can we really call a one-pixel victory completely definitive?jennifer1907-10-2026
- Ciccone’s final turn was excellent, but I agree with Zonneveld that he probably worked too much before the finish. With Scaroni behind, sitting on Remco’s wheel would have been the smarter gamble.bikebuffj07-10-2026
- Evenepoel showed serious resilience after that crash. Coming back, attacking on the descent and still winning the sprint is a proper champion’s performance.cadencekingm07-10-2026
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