Brandon McNulty became the first American in 33 years to win the senior road race at the World Road Cycling Championships.
McNulty attacked from an eight-man leading group with 20 miles left of the 170-mile course in Montreal and held on to win by 13 seconds over Australian Michael Matthews. Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel took bronze.
McNulty, 28, became the third U.S. man to win the road race at worlds after Greg LeMond (1983, ’89) and Lance Armstrong (1993), who was the last American man to win a medal of any color in the event.
Belgian Remco Evenepoel, who finished 12th, was bidding to become the first male cyclist to sweep world titles in the road race and the time trial in the same year.
Evenepoel previously won world titles in the road race in 2022, plus in the time trial in 2023, 2024 and 2025. He was also runner-up in the road race in 2025, when five-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar denied Evenepoel’s sweep bid.
Slovenia’s Pogacar missed these worlds after sustaining season-ending injuries in a Vuelta a Espana crash on Aug. 29.
On the women’s side, France’s Jeannie Longo swept the titles in 1995, and Dutchwoman Anna van der Breggen did so in 2020.
In Saturday’s women’s road race, Dutchwoman Demi Vollering earned her first world title, adding to her Tour de France and Giro d’Italia victories in 2026.
After 4 hours, 45 minutes on the roads, Vollering outsprinted Poland’s Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney, who is married to U.S. Olympian Taylor Phinney.
The top American was 2024 Olympic road race gold medalist Kristen Faulkner in 21st.
World Road Cycling Championships 2026 Women’s Road Race Results
Gold: Demi Vollering (NED) — 4:45:09
Silver: Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (POL) — +:00
Bronze: Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA) — +:04
4. Marlen Reusser (SUI) — +:08
5. Juliette Berthet (FRA) — +:39
6. Puck Pieterse (NED) — +1:36
7. Celia Gery (FRA) — +2:55
8. Dominika Wlodarczyk (POL) — +4:16
9. Maeva Squiban (FRA) — +5:48
10. Franziska Koch (GER) — +5:51
21. Kristen Faulkner (USA) — +8:34
40. Lauren Stephens (USA) — +15:31
