Brandon McNulty poised for Tour de France return in 2026

Brandon McNulty is set to return to the Tour de France for the first time in four years, with UAE Team Emirates-XRG sports manager Matxin Joxean Fernandez indicating that the American will form part of the team around Tadej Pogačar in 2026.

McNulty last raced the Tour in 2022, when he caught the eye with a striking cameo in support of Pogačar on the road to Peyragudes, where only the Slovenian and eventual Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard could hold his wheel.

In 2025, McNulty’s lone Grand Tour appearance came at the Giro d’Italia, where he placed ninth overall. He ended his season with overall victories at the Tour de Pologne, Tour de Luxembourg and CRO Tour. He also won the GP de Montréal after a two-up break with Pogačar.

“The programme of Brandon McNulty this year is mainly the Tour de France,” Matxin told Domestique and Daniel Benson at the UAE Team Emirates-XRG media day in Benidorm at the weekend. 

“Last year, we started with Adam Yates and Brandon in the Giro d’Italia as the two alternatives to Juan Ayuso and João Almeida. And this can be the case at the Tour de France, he can be a good alternative to Del Toro. I have always considered Brandon McNulty one of the best riders in the world. I believe a lot in Brandon McNulty.”

In keeping with recent seasons, McNulty has not been present at UAE Team Emirates-XRG's December training camp. The 27-year-old has been at the team since 2020, and he made an immediate impression with an assured display on his Giro debut that Autumn. The following July, he was part of the UAE squad that helped Pogačar to his second overall victory at the Tour. 

In 2023, McNulty was deployed at the Giro, where he won a stage in Bergamo, while in 2024, he rode the Vuelta a España, where he wore the red jersey after winning the opening time trial in Oeiras.

It had appeared in recent seasons that McNulty’s aspirations of one day riding as a GC leader at a Grand Tour had been set aside, but UAE manager Mauro Gianetti has insisted that it remains a possibility in the future.

“He’s an extraordinary rider, and we’ve been enthusiastic about him in the team ever since he came to us,” Gianetti told Domestique after McNulty’s Tour de Pologne victory in August. 

“He’s a rider who still has margin to improve, he can still grow. Winning a race as important as the Tour de Pologne will give him confidence for the future, and we could see him as a protagonist in a Grand Tour.”

Pogačar is seeking a record-equalling fifth Tour de France victory in July, and he will be joined in the UAE line-up by Isaac del Toro. Adam Yates has signalled that he is set to ride both the Giro and Tour in 2026, while Tim Wellens, Pavel Sivakov and Nils Politt are also expected to be included in the Tour squad.

João Almeida will not ride the Tour in 2026, with the Portuguese rider set to lead at the Giro and then return to the Vuelta, where he placed second overall this year.