Greg LeMond offers simple advice to Brandon McNulty as world champion: 'Enjoy the jersey'

Greg LeMond has stressed that Brandon McNulty’s (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) main focus as world champion should be to enjoy the rainbow jersey. 

After a daring attack with 33km remaining and holding off the competition in Montréal, McNulty joined an exclusive club of Americans to have won the elite men’s road race at the UCI World Championships.

For 33 years prior to the 28-year-old’s triumph, LeMond and Lance Armstrong were the only members of the exclusive club, with the latter winning in 1993 in Oslo.

LeMond’s distinction is that he is a two-time world champion, having first soloed to victory in Altenrhein in 1983. 

The second title came in 1989 in Chambéry, an iconic edition, where he won a small-group sprint, a month after winning the closest Tour de France in history. 

Now 65, LeMond still knows the winning feeling, having won the Critérium des Champions d’Hier (Criterium of Yesterday’s Champions) in Brittany on Saturday. 

LeMond beat former teammate Bernard Hinault in a sprint to the line in the event, which also featured Bernard Thévenet and Marc Gomez. 

Speaking to L’Equipe while in Brittany, LeMond discussed McNulty’s triumph in Montréal and the prestige of the rainbow jersey.

“I don’t think he’ll face any pressure, he just needs to enjoy the jersey; it’s an incredible thing to have,” LeMond told L’Equipe. 

LeMond suggested that McNulty’s win shouldn’t come as a shock considering his role within the UAE squad and the strength required to be a reliable teammate to Tadej Pogačar. 

“People might have been surprised by his win, but he already had a solid track record, especially considering that his primary role is working as a teammate for Tadej [Pogačar],” LeMond said.

The former two-time world champion suggested that McNulty’s current environment could help him reach a new level as world champion next season.

“It would be easy to get lost in his shadow, but he has already proven that he is capable of winning races,” LeMond said. 

"This situation works for him; this team also provides him with a sense of security, he will absorb all of that and gain confidence."

McNulty has made a strong start to life as world champion, finishing second at the Coppa Agostoni before taking fifth at Il Lombardia. The American will round out his 2026 season on Sunday at the Veneto Classic. 

After taking second at the Coppa Agostoni, McNulty himself admitted that the experience of racing as world champion has changed the way he feels when racing. 

“It is super special [being the world champion]. I feel like the races pass faster, I don’t really think about kilometres to go anymore. Hopefully that continues!” said McNulty.