Brandon McNulty

US rider Brandon McNulty made the leap quickly from a domestic rider specialising in time trials to a GC rider at the WorldTour level. The Phoenix, Arizona native, born on April 2, 1998, jumped into the spotlight in 1015 with a bronze medal in the men’s junior time trial at the World Championships in Richmond. He had already won the junior US title in the race against the clock and had won ITTs in three UCI junior stage races. So with another solid season as an 18-year-old in 2016, he won the rainbow jersey in the junior Worlds ITT.
Beginning in 2017, McNulty rode his first three pro seasons with Rally Cycling, the team advancing to the Pro Continental level in his final year. More time trial success landed him with a US national title in his first U23 season, and the silver at Worlds. Later, in 2019 he would take the bronze at Worlds in the U23 ITT, and add his first UCI GC title at the 2.1 Giro di Sicilia.

He turned heads for improving beyond one-day performances and moved to the WorldTour level in 2020 with UAE Team Emirates. That first season he finished second on a stage at the Giro d’Italia, his first Grand Tour. It was the longest race day of his career at that point, 177km and he finished close behind winner Peter Sagan. Then a few days later he would finish on the podium again, third best behind Filippo Ganna and Rohan Dennis in a hilly time trial, a result that bumped him to fourth overall in the GC. He would finish 15th overall, but made a statement that would keep him on GC lists for other races.

He rode his first Tour de France and Olympic Games 2021, where in Tokyo he was a disappointing 24th in the ITT but captured sixth in the road race. Earlier in the year he seemed to be hitting his stride at 22 years of age when he was sitting fourth overall after five stages at Paris-Nice, but withdrew after crash on stage 6. He also contested for a high overall at Itzulia Basque Country, but fell out of the top 15 in the end settled  for fifth in the youth and sixth in the points classifications. 

It was at the early-season Challenge Mallorca races, Trofeo Calvia, where he pulled off a solo breakaway for the win and his first victory for UAE Team Emirates. Three days later he would finish second at Trofeo Pollença. He kept his momentum with a victory at Faune-Ardèche Classic in France and then a long road stage win at Paris-Nice. He would build up to back-to-back Grand Tours at the Tour and Vuelta, taking a podium finish on stage 17 at the Tour de France.

At the 2023 Giro McNulty captured a signature win on stage 15, taking a three-man sprint in Bergamo. A month later he travelled back to the US to win another ITT national championship. He was a favourite to win the ITT World Championships, but came away with fourth. 

Key Results

2023

🥇 US National Championships elite men’s ITT

🥇 One stage at Giro d’Italia

🥇 Youth classification at Itzulia Basque Country

🥈 Youth classification at Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana

🥈 One stage and GC at Tour of Luxembourg

Fourth at World Championships ITT

2022

🥇 One stage at Paris-Nice

🥇 Faun-Ardèche Classic

🥇 One stage at Paris-Nice

🥇 Trofeo Calvia

🥈 GC at Volta ao Algarve

🥈 Trofeo Pollença

🥈 Youth classification at Critérium du Dauphiné

🥉 One stage and Youth classification at Tour de France

2021

🥈 One stage at Itzulia Basque Country

🥉 One stage at Itzulia Basque Country

🥉 One stage at Critérium du Dauphiné

2020

🥈 One stage at Giro d’Italia

🥉 One stage at Giro d’Italia

2019

🥇 One stage, youth classification and GC at Giro di Sicilia

🥈 Chrono Kristin Armstrong

🥉 World Championships U23 ITT

2018

🥇 One stage at Tour Alsace

🥈 Chrono Kristin Armstrong

🥈 One stage Tour de l’Avenir

🥉 Two stages and GC at Tour Alsace

2017

🥇 US National Championships U23 ITT

🥈 World Championships U23 ITT