McNulty fell 12 seconds short of a World TT medal but sees a road race opportunity: 'We have our work cut out'

McNulty stopped the clock at 46:18.40, averaging 50.79 kph over the 39.2-kilometre course. He briefly occupied the hot seat in second place before the final contenders pushed him out of the medals. Remco Evenepoel took gold with a dominant time of 44:53.13, finishing 57 seconds ahead of Filippo Ganna, while Seixas edged McNulty for the bronze. Evenepoel's victory sealed a historic fourth consecutive world time trial title.

"12 seconds from the medal is not bad," McNulty said at the finish. "I'm happy with the ride. I think it showed the work was paying off. Hopefully I can keep getting better."

The American pointed to the improvements he made to his time trial position after the Tour de France as a key factor behind the strong ride. "I put a lot more effort on position stuff since the Tour, since I had quite a bit of time. I think on this course that was super important, because it was technical, but also just completely flat," he told Cyclingnews.

The course itself also presented unique challenges beyond the pure effort. "It wasn't the smoothest road in existence, the potholes added another element," McNulty noted. "It's super easy to lose momentum with the potholes and trying to gain momentum back was super tough."

The men's road race on September 27 covers 273.7 kilometres on the same city circuit as GP Montréal, with the defining feature being a 1.6-kilometre climb called the Voie Camillien-Houde. It is terrain McNulty knows well: he won the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal on these roads in 2025. On their returns to the same race earlier this month, McNulty and Quinn Simmons placed third and fourth, respectively. Something, McNulty said, he can take confidence from.

"It's the best team I think the US have had," McNulty said. "I think there's a chance. If we do everything perfect, to have a good shot at a medal." That optimism extends across the squad. Kevin Vermaerke said earlier this month that the situation gives the US "probably our best shot at a win since Lance won in '93."

McNulty is realistic about the opposition, naming the likes of Evenepoel and Mathieu van der Poel among the fiercest competition. "We have our work cut out, but I think we have a good team to race aggressively," he said. "There are a ton of strong guys that I don't think we've ever really beaten before, so it's going to be hard. But I think we have numbers to at least play our cards well."

Fellow American Artem Shmidt competed in his first elite race at Worlds, finishing a respectable 18th in the time trial, and will play a key supporting role on Sunday. "The road race is a different type of beast than the time trial," Shmidt told Cycling Weekly. "But I have a good threshold and good one-hour power to help the guys as much as I can."

For McNulty, fourth place provides a timely indication of form before returning to roads where he has already won. "I love the circuit, so I'm excited," he said. "But it'll be a hard day."