‘He’ll return exactly where he left off’ - McNulty backs Pogacar to come back at his best

Brandon McNulty is confident Tadej Pogačar will come back from his season-ending injuries at the level he left off. The world champion spoke to AS in Japan before Sunday’s Saitama Criterium, almost two months after taking the title Pogačar had held for the previous two years.

Pogačar has not raced since crashing out of the Vuelta a España with a concussion, a fractured vertebra and a broken collarbone, which ruled him out of the defence in Montreal. He contacted McNulty after the race.

“We haven’t really talked much. He sent me a message saying he was very happy for me. From what I know and what I understand, he will come back from the injury at his best. He has always shown he can reach that level. I have total confidence he’ll return exactly where he left off,” McNulty told AS.

McNulty’s own results have been shifting away from the races he grew up targeting. Several of his biggest wins, including the 2025 Tour de Pologne, came in stage races, but his best results of the past 14 months came in one-day races: the GP de Montréal, the World Championships and the Veneto Classic.

“I always thought stage races were my path because I grew up wanting to be a GC rider and I’m good at time trialling. But the big mountains are sometimes hard for me,” he said.

He has ridden for UAE since 2020 and has never had this much attention. It’s a side of the jersey he could do without.

“I’ve been a professional for a long time. I’ve never been in the spotlight this much, that’s the reality, and it’s not something I especially like, but I handle it well and it’s part of our job,” he said.

McNulty is the first American to win the elite men’s world title since Lance Armstrong in 1993. He will ride the Tour de Tucson in Arizona on 21 November and then host a meet-up with fans near his home.

Looking further ahead, McNulty is already targeting a return to the Tour de France in 2027, where he hopes to line up alongside Pogačar in the rainbow jersey.

“In 2027 I want to do the Tour de France again because it’s special. With the rainbow jersey it will be incredible, and trying to win another one with Tadej would be really nice,” McNulty said.