McNulty realizes how unique Pogacar’s gesture and UAE’s bizarre dominance was: "Tadej asked if I wanted to try a solo"
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Follow us on GoogleBrandon McNulty won Sunday’s GP Montréal in a very special way. UAE Team Emirates-XRG did everything they could to make the race brutally hard, and to give team leader Tadej Pogacar an early launch. But when the Slovenian actually rode away solo, McNulty was strong enough to stay close. Pogacar waited for his teammate and handed him the victory.
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McNulty is by no means a rookie when it comes to winning. We’ve seen before that on a good day, the American can compete with the very best in the world. He has already won stages in Paris-Nice, the Giro d’Italia, the Vuelta a España, Valencia, Romandie… and this season he also took the overall title at the Tour of Poland.
But his 19th career win was different. The fact that he could follow Pogacar was impressive, as the world champion put everyone else more than a minute behind. Pogacar’s decision to wait told the whole story, and was the perfect ending to an incredibly dominant day for UAE.
Continue reading below the video!
Pogacar told McNulty to attack
The powerhouse squad pushed all day with riders like Nils Politt, Tim Wellens, and Pavel Sivakov, and eventually it was Pogacar who dictated the finale. “With maybe four laps to go, he asked me if I wanted to go solo, and I said I can try. And then we made this group on the climb and ended up in a group of four,” McNulty recalled afterwards.
“Then Tadej went, and then I was able to come across and he waited for me. He was kind enough to give me the win. We decided in the final. I’m really thankful for that, it was a super fun day. It's always special to go 1-2 with a teammate, but when he is world champion, it’s super special to cross the line like that.”
Continue reading below the video.
McNulty will always remember duo victory with Pogacar
“It is one of the most memorable days of my career so far,” the stage winner said. “It’s super cool to see your teammates and friends pulling like this. We were in one line most of the day, and I was just watching these guys pulling super hard. I was suffering and didn't even know if I was going to be able to continue at the speed we were going. But when you see them pull like that, it is a special motivation.”
McNulty’s win was also UAE Emirates-XRG’s 85th of the season, equaling HTC-Columbia’s all-time record from 2009. “It’s special. We were close last year, so it was a big goal of the team to have this record, and now we're tied. I guess we need one more to break the record. I didn't even realize I was the one to tie this, so that’s a really cool statistic,” he concluded with a laugh.
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- I’m still learning the calendar: is cyclocross mainly preparation for the spring classics, or does he race it as a separate goal as well? I’d love to see him back in the mud.jeremya04-11-2026
- The article makes it sound as if Roubaix is the only classic where he has a realistic shot. He’s been close in Flanders too, and one good tactical day can change everything.jennifer1904-11-2026
- Milan-Sanremo and Roubaix is a pretty special pair of Monuments. Any clues yet on which cyclocross races he’ll target?andrewf04-11-2026
- He’s right to be realistic about Flanders with Pogačar and Evenepoel around, but you can’t count Van Aert out on those roads. If he gets the right opportunity, he has the engine and experience to take it.davidm04-11-2026
- That Roubaix win felt like such a release after all the near-misses. Brilliant to hear that joy outweighed relief for Wout.patriciaw04-11-2026
- Why would a mountain time trial be different from a normal one? Is it just that the riders have to climb the whole course?samanthak03-11-2026
- I don’t quite buy the “fear of failure” argument. Riders can race the Giro and still have confidence in July; it comes down to recovery and planning, doesn’t it?patriciaw03-11-2026
- The Giro-Tour double is a massive ask, even for the very best. Pogačar made it look almost routine in 2024, but that’s hardly a sensible benchmark for everyone else!pedalpowe2903-11-2026
- Bakelants makes a fair point: if the 2027 Tour really suits Remco, he can’t afford to dilute the build-up. That 37km flat TT will be tempting, mind.julien03-11-2026
- Mont Blanc sounds like a spectacular finish, though four climbs on the final day might be a bit much after eight hard stages. Hope the route details are clear soon.raceready703-11-2026
