Brandon McNulty Soloes to Sensational First Win in Rainbow Jersey

Brandon McNulty (UAE Emirates-XRG) blew the doors off his rainbow jersey account Sunday with a sensational solo victory at the Veneto Classic.

The newly crowned world champion soloed away from Anton Charmig (Uno-X Mobility) in the mixed-surface Italian race to score his first victory in the stripey top.

McNulty and Charmig launched clear of the bunch in the final 30km of the hilly, gravelly classic before the American star despatched his rival with a huge attack in the final 10km.

McNulty crossed the line more than one minute ahead of Charmig – plenty of time to post up in his all-white rainbow skinsuit before being greeted at the line by his wife, Summer.

“It was super nice to win in the rainbow jersey, but I really wanted to win one race before the end of the year in it,” McNulty said at the finish. “Today was the last day to do it, so I’m really happy.

“Where I went was the hardest climb of the day, and I knew I had to go as hard as I could there,” he added. “It worked well, so it was perfect.”

McNulty’s first win as world champion had seemed on the cards since the day he won the rainbow jersey last month in Montréal.

McNulty has represented the stripes with aplomb in the past three weeks. The 28-year-old hit the top-10 at Giro dell’Emilia, Coppa Agostoni, and Il Lombardia. He looked like one of the strongest in the “Race of the Falling Leaves” last weekend but ultimately played domestique for his teammate Isaac de Toro.

McNulty: ‘When you have the jersey, you’re watched’

McNulty acknowledged his late-season form, and his fancy new jersey, made him a marked man Sunday at the Veneto Classic.

“When you have the jersey like this, you’re watched by everyone, so it’s different,” he said. “But the team was super strong and did everything, so I’m super happy.”

McNulty will now face a quick turnaround.

He, Del Toro, and superstar teammate Tadej Pogačar convene next week in Abu Dhabi to start game-planning 2027.

“The next month we have some team camps and a lot of other stuff, and we try to have some time off,” McNulty said Sunday. “Then it’s back racing full gas next year.”

If there’s such a thing as “a curse of the rainbow jersey,” McNulty managed to spirit it away, right in time for some vacation.