'It's gigantic' - Warbasse on McNulty's rainbow and the future of US cycling

In a race without radio earpieces, news travels by induction. Larry Warbasse was halfway up the stiff Chemin de la Polytechnique when word filtered from the roadside that his compatriot Brandon McNulty was the new world champion.

Warbasse had put in a long shift on behalf of the United States’ troika of leaders, and his day’s work was long done by the time he hit the final lap. Confirmation of McNulty’s rainbow triumph softened the gradients of the Polytechnique, while the company of one of McNulty’s UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates meant the celebration could be shared as they pedalled towards the finish.

“I found out just as I was hitting that university climb,” Warbasse told Domestique recently. “There were guys telling me that Brandon had won. For me, that was super exciting, and I was riding with his trade teammate Ivo Oliveira, so for both of us, it was pretty cool.”

Warbasse reached the finish in time to see McNulty being ushered towards the podium and into the rainbow jersey, the third American man to achieve the feat. The 36-year-old has an American title and a Tour de Suisse stage win to his name, but playing a part in this collective triumph will go down as one of the loftiest moments of his career.

“It’s definitely one of the biggest highlights,” Warbasse said. “I probably never imagined I’d get to be a part of a team that would win the men’s elite road race title, so that was huge. 

“I think also just for the US, it’s gigantic because I would say we had kind of a down period in terms of performance for the elite men for a long time. But we had one of the strongest teams in the race and Brandon was able to pull it off with a really beautiful victory.”

In the build-up to the Montreal World Championships – the first in North America since Richmond in 2015 – there was considerable optimism about the American team’s chances, even if Tadej Pogacar was the consensus favourite for a third straight title.

When Pogacar was ruled out by his crash at the Vuelta a España, their target was elevated from the podium to the rainbow jersey. Matteo Jorgenson had made a point of galvanising the squad by putting his thoughts in writing before they travelled to Canada. 

“I mean, I think we thought we had a really good shot at the podium, and then once Pogacar crashed out, we realised that we could actually have a shot at more,” Warbasse said. “I think it was really in the weeks before that we realised that maybe we could actually win this thing. 

“It was crazy. We maybe missed a big star name like Remco or Van der Poel, but we knew that collectively we probably had one of the strongest teams.”

With that in mind, coach Michael Creed devised a sage gameplan for a race that was always likely to prove unwieldly: at all times, he wanted his riders to account for at least 10% of the front group. McNulty, Jorgenson and Quinn Simmons were all in the decisive selection and, well, the rest is history.

McNulty has emulated Greg LeMond (1983 and 1989) and Lance Armstrong (1993) by winning the elite men’s title, and he is also only the third American to win a medal of any colour in the event. 

The best finish since Armstrong’s Oslo victory was fifth, achieved by Chann McRae in Verona in 1999 and by Neilson Powless in Leuven in 2021. (Armstrong’s fourth place in Valkenburg in 1998 was rescinded when he was given a life ban for doping in 2012).

The United States have produced plenty of world-level talents in the years since, but they repeatedly struggled to add up to the sum of their parts at the Worlds. What changed in Montreal?

“Neilson was fifth a few years ago, so we’ve been pretty close,” Warbasse said. “But in the end, I think the group of American riders has just gotten stronger and stronger. I think this year, we probably could have fielded a team of 12 super strong guys. And in Montreal, the biggest thing was probably having three guys in the top ten strongest in the race, because that really allows you to play in the final. I think for us that was probably the biggest difference maker.”

The question now, of course, is whether McNulty’s victory can make a difference for American cycling, which has endured a long recession in the aftermath of Armstrong’s downfall. International races like the Tour of California, Tour of Utah and USA Pro Cycling Challenge have drifted off the calendar, while the US domestic road scene has been overtaken by gravel.

“I hope it will bring more attention to cycling in the US, and help us to get some races back, like the Tour of California,” said Warbasse, who witnessed the appetite for racing firsthand at the Worlds. 

“In Montreal, it felt like half the people on the side of the road were American. That was amazing for us, and it also showed that there are so many cycling fans out there in the US. Maybe cycling is missing the mainstream media – I don’t think the New York Times is really covering cycling too much – and that’s too bad. But it would be great if we could translate that victory into more racing in the US, because I think there is a hunger for it.”