‘King of Montréal’: Pogacar salutes McNulty as new world champion jokes about 2027 role reversal

The Slovenian chose a fitting picture for the occasion. He shared a photo from the 2025 GP de Montréal, when he and McNulty rode away from the rest of the field together before arriving on Avenue du Parc side by side. McNulty was given the victory that day, with Pogacar crossing the line alongside him in second.

A year later, McNulty returned to the same city and took a considerably bigger win on his own.

“The King of Montreal. Proud of you Brandon McNulty,” Pogacar wrote on Instagram after watching his teammate become world champion from home.

The nickname was an obvious one. McNulty first raced the GP de Montréal as a 20-year-old in 2018, finishing 16th. He was 13th in 2023, won the race in 2025 and finished third there earlier this month behind UAE teammate Isaac del Toro and Paul Seixas.

Then came the world title.

It also gave Pogačar’s choice of photo an extra layer. McNulty has spent much of his UAE career riding for the Slovenian in the team’s biggest races. In Montréal last year, Pogačar was the one in a position to help his teammate towards a major win.

This time, McNulty did it himself.

“I hope I made Tadej proud by keeping the jersey in the team,” McNulty said according to AFP after the race. “I hope he enjoyed watching.”

Pogačar's Instagram post had already supplied the answer.

The result also leaves UAE with an unusual situation for 2027. McNulty will return to the team in the rainbow jersey, while Pogačar will still lead many of its biggest objectives.

Asked after the race whether that might mean a reversal of roles next season, McNulty laughed.

“I don’t know, maybe he will have to ride for me a few days,” he said.

“At the end of the day, he’s still the best rider,” McNulty added. “So now it’ll be fun riding the front of races and me in the jersey for him.”

For once, the rainbow jersey may not be the rider UAE is racing for.