Brandon McNulty Wins 2026 World Championship Road Race with 32km Solo Attack

American cyclist Brandon McNulty won the elite men's road race title at the 2026 UCI Road World Championships in Montreal, Canada. McNulty secured the world title following a 32km solo attack, completing the course in a time of 6:17:04.

The 273.7km course featured 3,802 meters of elevation gain and included 12 laps of the Mount Royal circuit. A 184-rider peloton set off from Brossard under cool, cloudy conditions with temperatures around 14°C. An early 16-rider breakaway built a gap that reached up to seven minutes over the main field.

The demanding course took its toll on the peloton, leading to several abandonments including Slovenian riders Luka Mezgec, Jan Tratnik, and Matej Mohorič. Despite late accelerations from Great Britain's Tom Pidcock to close the gap, McNulty maintained his advantage through the final bell lap to cross the line victorious.

Michael Matthews of Australia finished second, 13 seconds behind McNulty, while Mathieu van der Poel of the Netherlands took third place on the podium with the same time. Quinn Simmons of the United States finished fourth, followed by Mexico's Isaac del Toro in fifth.