Brandon McNulty Fourth in Elite Men’s Time Trial to Kick Off the 2026 UCI Road World Championships Team

The 2026 UCI Road World Championships officially got underway Sunday on the streets of downtown Montreal, with the Elite Women and Elite Men taking on the opening time trials. With hometown crowds lining Avenue du Parc, the U.S. team saw a standout performance from Brandon McNulty (Phoenix, Ariz.; UAE Team Emirates-XRG), who finished fourth in the Elite Men’s Time Trial, just 12 seconds off the podium.

Elite Men’s Time Trial

Artem Shmidt (Cumming, Ga.; Netcompany INEOS) was the first American to take the start in the afternoon’s Elite Men’s Time Trial. Shmidt opened with a strong first split and maintained a consistent pace throughout the challenging 45-minute effort, crossing the finish line in 47:13.57 to finish 19th.

Next up was Brandon McNulty (Phoenix, Ariz.; UAE Team Emirates-XRG), who put everything on the road in pursuit of a World Championship medal. McNulty continued to build his pace throughout the course, averaging 50.79 kph and stopping the clock at 46:18.40. His time was enough to put him in the hot seat, but with the world’s top time trialists still to come, McNulty knew he would have to wait to see where he landed. In the end, he finished fourth, just 12 seconds off the bronze medal.

While a fourth-place finish left McNulty just outside the podium, he was pleased with the progress he saw from his effort. “12 seconds from the medal is not bad... I think it showed the work was paying off and hopefully I can keep getting better.”

Results:

1. Remco Evenepoel (BEL) – 44:53.13

2. Filippo Ganna (ITA) – +57.31

3. Paul Seixas (FRA) – +1:13.04

4. Brandon McNulty (USA) – +1:25.27

19. Artem Shmidt (USA) – +2:20.44

Elite Women’s Time Trial

Making her World Championship time trial debut, triathlete Taylor Knibb (Boulder, Colo.) delivered a strong performance on the technical Montreal course, finishing 13th overall. Knibb opened with a steady pace before gradually building speed throughout the course. Her smooth effort moved her to the top of the leaderboard early in the competition, and she ultimately finished in 52:43.35, averaging 44.65 kph. The result marked a top-15 finish in her first World Championship time trial.

Kristen Faulkner (Homer, Alaska; EF-Oatly-Cannondale) was the second American to take the start. Faulkner maintained a steady rhythm throughout the course, checking off her targets kilometer by kilometer before crossing the line in 54:05.41 to finish 21st. With the Road Race still ahead on Saturday, Faulkner will have another opportunity to race for Team USA later in the week.

Results:

1. Marlen Reusser (SUI) – 50:24.44

2. Zoe Backstedt (GBR) – +40.11

3. Franziska Koch (GER) – +45.54

13. Taylor Knibb (USA) – +2:18.91

21. Kristen Faulkner (USA) – +3:40.97

Up Next

Tomorrow the U23 Men and Women take the line for their Time Trials. Follow along. 

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