'We have Tadej Pogacar' - Why McNulty's rainbow jersey won't change his role at UAE

“The hardest part starts in Lombardy.” That was L’Équipe’s assessment of Brandon McNulty’s new cycling life on the eve of Il Lombardia, with the newspaper suggesting that the American would now have to start proving that he was a worthy world champion after his unexpected victory in Montreal.

Every unexpected world champion in history has faced similar scrutiny. Some have grown into their new status, and others have collapsed under its weight. “Who on earth is Oscar Freire?” screamed the cover of Cycle Sport magazine in 1999. The Spaniard responded by winning the Worlds twice more. Others, like Romans Vainsteins and Igor Astarloa, found rather less fortune over the rainbow.

But McNulty occupies an interesting place in this conversation. His Worlds victory was surprising but hardly a surprise: the American arrived in the WorldTour in 2020 as a highly rated talent, and he has confirmed as much across his seven seasons with UAE Team Emirates-XRG. 

After claiming his first victory in the rainbow jersey at the Veneto Classic, McNulty has now won 24 pro races, including a stage of the 2023 Giro d’Italia and the overall title at the Tour de Pologne. He has delivered towering displays in support of Tadej Pogačar, most notably at Peyragudes on the 2022 Tour de France, and he has gone close to medals at both the Tokyo and Paris Olympics. 

At 28 years old, McNulty was already well established in the peloton, in his team and in his role before his triumph in Montreal. If he had any dissatisfaction about his place in the firmament at UAE, McNulty would surely have tested the waters elsewhere by now. 

Instead, he signed a contract last April that will extend his stay at the team until the end of 2030, and there is nothing to indicate that the rainbow jersey on McNulty’s back will see him get ideas above his station in a team where Pogačar is the undisputed don and where Isaac del Toro is very clearly next in the line of succession.

Speaking to Domestique during his late-season slate of Italian races, McNulty indicated that his place in the UAE hierarchy in 2027 would be largely unchanged. After a four-year absence, he returned to the Tour in 2026 as part of Pogačar’s supporting cast and one of his overarching aims for next season is to reprise that role in July.

“It doesn’t really change me as a rider,” McNulty said of the rainbow jersey. “I mean, I’m still targeting races that I would normally do, and I would love to do the Tour again. That’s kind of what I would like, and then we’ll see.”

McNulty’s view chimes with that of UAE sports manager Matxin Joxean Fernández, who told Domestique that the American’s role in the squad is unlikely to change unduly. Continuity is the byword, despite the rainbow bands on his back.

“I’ve known Brandon since the World Championships in Richmond [in 2015] and now he’s been with our team for seven years,” Matxin told us recently. “It’s been working very well, and I usually don’t like to change things that are working very well. Of course, we have to show respect for the world champion, and he’ll have his space – but we also have Tadej Pogačar.

“And I’ll say it very clearly: right now, Tadej Pogačar is the best rider in the world, and so if Brandon has to work for him, then he’ll do it. It’s been the same story with Isaac del Toro. He’s the second best rider in the world, in my view, even if the rankings place him third, and when he has to work for Tadej, he does it. 

“The team works for the best rider – and if Tadej has to work to help the team succeed, then he’ll do that too. In other words, this team has that mindset and we’re not going to change it.”

Despite Pogačar and Del Toro’s pre-eminence at UAE across the calendar, McNulty has been carving out space for himself in recent seasons, and it seems likely he will have the chance to lead the line at some week-long stage races in 2027.

“Last year he had his space at races, but he suffered an injury,” Matxin said. “He’s been a leader in Paris-Nice and also at Itzulia Basque Country, the Tour de Romandie, and in many other races. 

“So far, he’s sometimes fallen short and sometimes won, but we’ve always taken him into account and will continue to do so now, obviously, out of respect for what the title of world champion represents.”

The rainbow jersey changes McNulty’s status, in other words, but his role will be familiar.