Brandon McNulty secured the best Monument result of his career with fifth place at Il Lombardia on Saturday. The American rider showed strong form in the rainbow jersey after winning the world road race title in Montréal.
The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider fought hard through a demanding race in Como. He spent almost six hours on the bike and added another top-10 finish to his recent results. It was his third top-10 result in the past week.
McNulty could not reach the podium, but his performance gave him fresh confidence. He is now looking ahead to two more chances to win a race while wearing the world champion’s jersey.
Paul Seixas of Decathlon CMA CGM won the race after a powerful solo attack. The young French rider dropped his rivals on the penultimate climb and rode alone to the finish. His victory made him the youngest winner in the history of Il Lombardia.
Saturday’s race was the 120th edition of the famous Italian event. It is also known as the Race of the Falling Leaves. The course is famous for its tough climbs, which often decide the result in the final part of the race.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG entered the event as the defending champion. The team worked hard throughout the day to give McNulty and Isaac del Toro a chance to fight for victory.
Pavel Sivakov and Adam Yates played key roles near the front of the group. They helped set a strong pace as the riders reached the hardest climbs. Their work made the race more demanding and gave rival riders little room to relax.
The team hoped that its strong pace would help its leaders reach the final stages in a good position. However, Seixas proved to be the strongest rider on the day. His attack on the penultimate climb created the gap that allowed him to secure the win.
McNulty stayed in the fight and saved enough energy to contest the sprint for the remaining places. He then gave his best effort in the final sprint and crossed the line in fifth place.
The result marked an important step in his career. Monument races are among the hardest and most valued one-day events in professional cycling. A top-five finish at Il Lombardia is a major achievement for any rider.
McNulty said he was pleased with both his own effort and the team’s work. He described the race as very hard, as it often is at Il Lombardia. He was also happy that his legs responded well after his recent world title win.
“It was nice, it was a super hard race as always at Il Lombardia,” McNulty said. He added that the team rode strongly and managed to stay in the fight near the end.
He said he did the best sprint he could and was happy with fifth place. He also confirmed that it was the best Monument result of his career.
The American rider also spoke about wearing the rainbow jersey with white shorts. The rainbow jersey is worn by the reigning world road race champion and is one of the most well-known symbols in cycling.
McNulty said it was special to race in the new look and see that his form remained strong. His recent results suggest that he is still in good shape as the season reaches its final week.
Despite missing the podium, he remains focused on getting a victory in the world champion’s jersey. He has two more chances to achieve that goal before the end of his racing schedule.
“There are two more chances to get a victory in the rainbow jersey, so we’ll go all in with everything that I have left,” he said.
McNulty’s fifth place gives him a strong finish to a busy run of races. With his confidence high and two opportunities still ahead, the American will aim to turn his recent form into another major result.
