Brandon McNulty: world title and rainbow jersey rules

Brandon McNulty is the 2026 elite men’s road race world champion. The American completed the course in Montréal in 6:17:04, finishing 13 seconds ahead of Australia’s Michael Matthews. Dutch rider Mathieu van der Poel took bronze, also 13 seconds behind. The title allows McNulty to wear the rainbow jersey for one year, but only in elite men’s road races—not in the individual time trial.

The elite men’s result

The result published by NBC Sports lists McNulty first, Matthews second and Van der Poel third. The race took place on September 27, the final day of the 2026 Road World Championships in Montréal.

McNulty attacked from a group of eight riders with 20 miles remaining on the reported 170-mile course. His advantage grew to more than one minute, fell to around ten seconds and increased again before the closing miles. Matthews and Van der Poel crossed the line 13 seconds after the winner.

Two more Americans finished in the top ten: Quinn Simmons placed fourth, 13 seconds back, while Matteo Jorgenson was eighth at 14 seconds. The definitive classification is available through the UCI’s official results page.

Why the victory ends a 33-year gap

McNulty became the first U.S. man in 33 years to win the elite road race at the World Championships. According to NBC Sports, he is the third American man to take this title, following Greg LeMond, the winner in 1983 and 1989, and Lance Armstrong, who won in 1993.

That 33-year comparison applies specifically to the elite men’s road race. It should not be extended to U.S. results in other age groups, women’s cycling, the time trial or other disciplines governed by the UCI.

The victory came one week after McNulty placed fourth in the world championship time trial, 12 seconds short of a medal. The road race is a different specialty, however, and that distinction determines when he is entitled to wear his new jersey.

When McNulty can wear the rainbow jersey

Under the rule explained by the UCI, a reigning champion may wear the rainbow jersey until the following World Championships. The entitlement is restricted to the discipline, category and specialty in which the rider earned the title.

In practical terms, McNulty may wear it in elite men’s road races during his reign. He cannot wear it in an individual time trial, even if he enters that event, because the UCI awards a separate title and jersey to the time trial winner.

The jersey has a white background with five horizontal bands: blue, red, black, yellow and green. After a rider’s reign ends, former world champions may display rainbow bands on their team jersey’s sleeves and collar—again, only in the specialty they won.

The U.S. team in Montréal

USA Cycling selected McNulty for both the road race and the time trial. The roster published on September 1 and later updated covered 34 U.S. athletes across the elite, under-23 and junior categories.

Neilson Powless was part of the initial elite men’s selection. A September 18 update said that he withdrew because of illness and was replaced by Riley Sheehan, the first reserve named in the selection process. The roster now displayed by USA Cycling therefore includes that replacement and is not identical to the group announced initially.

Alongside McNulty and Sheehan, the updated men’s road race list included Jorgenson, Sean Quinn, Artem Shmidt, Simmons, Kevin Vermaerke and Larry Warbasse. McNulty’s entry in both specialties provides context for his overall campaign, but his title and rainbow jersey came exclusively from the road race.

An earlier result in the same city

Two weeks before the World Championships, McNulty had already reached a podium in Montréal. He finished third at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, 27 seconds behind teammate Isaac del Toro, with Paul Seixas in second. The UAE Team Emirates-XRG report says McNulty entered as the previous edition’s winner and attacked during the chase before securing his 2026 podium place.

The Grand Prix and the World Championships took place in the same city, but the cited sources do not establish that they used identical courses. The earlier performance offers recent competitive context; it does not prove that the two races presented the same route or conditions.

How to follow his year as champion

The simplest way to interpret the jersey is to check the event specialty: in an elite men’s road race, McNulty may compete in white with the five bands; in a time trial, he must use a different kit. Future calendars, entries and results can change, so each event should be checked through the official channels of the UCI and the relevant organizers.

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