American McNulty wins shock road race world title

Montreal witnessed an astonishing moment in men's cycling as American cyclist Brandon McNulty claimed the road race world title, becoming the first American in 33 years to achieve this feat. The 28-year-old Mcnyulty broke clear of the competition with just 32km remaining on the Canadian street course, maintaining his lead and crossing the line 13 seconds ahead of Australian Michael Matthews, while former champion Mathieu van der Poel finished in third place. The last American cyclist to win this prestigious title was Lance Armstrong in 1993.

McNulty's success came after his team-mate Tadej Pogacar, who shared the same UAE Emirates-XRG team, had won the overall men's road race. In the race, McNulty launched a bold move following a breakaway involving four cyclists, one of whom was Mathieu van der Poel. Despite numerous chase groups attempting to close the gap, McNulty consistently stayed ahead, with brief moments of competition from Briton Tom Pidcock and Irishman Ben Healy.

However, both riders failed to create a decisive advantage. With 9km left, a group including Pidcock, Del Toro, and Paul Seixas managed to close the distance to within 10 seconds of McNulty, but they hesitated and allowed him to maintain his lead.

The victory for McNulty is particularly significant as it rectified a previous near-miss during a time trial a week earlier, where he finished fourth behind Remco Evenepoel, Filippo Ganna, and Seixas. As he sprinted to victory after a grueling 273.4km and six hours 17 minutes, McNulty proudly donned the coveted rainbow jersey, a symbol of his extraordinary accomplishment.