McNulty jokes about his relationship with Pogačar and credits the USA cycling program for gold: 'I literally grew up with it'

"Yeah, I mean, it's been... I don't know, has it been an hour already? I still can't believe it. It's kind of... I really still can't believe it."

"I think it's definitely an advantage. I mean, if you feel confident and happy on a course you know very well, that's always an advantage. So yes, I feel like I’ve really learned how to race in this event over the past few years. I didn’t know if everything would go perfectly for a medal today. I didn’t really think winning the jersey was something that would actually happen. Of course, we dreamed about it and had hope, but yeah, sometimes everything comes together and things like this happen."

"Watch out at fifty meters. I mean, I knew they were getting close and that the gap would widen, and I know how long the last five hundred meters are from the last turn. So I didn’t believe it until I had fifty meters left, looked back, and saw no one there—and only then could I accept that it had happened.”

"It's unbelievable. Like you said, I've been part of the USA Cycling organisation since I was fifteen or sixteen years old. So I literally grew up with it. When I first met many of the people who are still involved... I’ve been to almost every World Championships since then.”

So yes, moving up from the junior ranks—I won the time trial as a junior at the World Championships, and then Quinn won the road race years later—and yes, there’s been success, but I think the men’s World Championships have always been the dream for everyone in the organisation. So it’s really special to do it with people I’ve known since I was just a kid.”

"I'll probably start out in Emilia again. (laughs) I'm not exactly sure yet how I'll race there; it's already pretty fast now. We’ll probably celebrate a little, but the plan is to race in Emilia and then through almost the entire Italian leg to Veneto, as well as Lombardy and all these other races. So I’m looking forward to it, and starting out in the jersey will be special. Hopefully, I’ll be able to show up with decent legs."

"The team was really good today. Our plan from the start was to have myself, Quinn, and Matteo as our key players for the final rounds. And yes, we had Quinn out front at first, and Matteo and I were able to play it out a bit, and when it all came together, I chose my moment to make my move. And yes, I know they were both working to keep the group constantly starting and stopping, which helped me stay out front."

"We've been saying for a while now that we have the strongest team we've had in the U.S. in a very long time. And yes, the three of us—we know we're very capable riders and that we're capable of winning on any given day. So that speaks volumes about the depth we had."

"It was really special to see Mauro. He's such a warm, friendly guy who's always been very caring toward me and has been a huge help to my development in every aspect of the team. So it's really nice to see him, along with the other staff members from the UAE."

"Maybe he should ride for me for a few days now. (laughs) No, at the end of the day he is still the best rider, so now it will be fun to ride in the jersey for him, but it will be cool to race with him in my rainbow jersey."

"It was really sad to see him crash in the Vuelta, especially because I knew it was very important to him. I hope I made him proud. I hope he enjoyed watching."