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McNulty ends 33-year US Worlds drought — for €8,000
Brandon McNulty won the elite men's road race at the 2026 UCI Road World Championships in Montréal, attacking roughly 32km from the finish and taking home €8,000 in prize money. McNulty's title ended a 33-year drought for the United States in the race, with Lance Armstrong's 1993 title being the last — a gap closed by a payday smaller than a single Tour de France stage win.
What this means
McNulty now races in the rainbow jersey as world champion through the next championships, a status that brings publicity and sponsor exposure of its own.
The official purse for the men's rainbow jersey is €8,000, identical to the women's winner, with Michael Matthews taking €4,000 for second and Mathieu van der Poel €2,000 for third. That figure sits below the €11,000 paid for a single Tour de France stage and well under the €20,000 purse at Tour of Flanders — the world title simply doesn't pay like the sport's other marquee days. The real money sits elsewhere: USA Cycling covers travel and support rather than appearance fees, and riders are paid by their trade teams, not by the rainbow jersey itself. Tadej Pogačar's own team contract pays him €250,000 for a Worlds win, underlining how much the number depends on what's written into a rider's deal rather than the UCI's purse. McNulty extended with UAE Team Emirates-XRG through 2030 months before Montréal, timing that put any contract renegotiation ahead of his world title rather than after it.
Sources
‘Speak With Data’: UAE Boss Slams Skeptics Fueling Del Toro-McNulty Conspiracy TheoriesWhat’s Brandon McNulty’s Road Worlds Title Worth? Not Much, and a LotBrandon McNulty Net Worth: Earnings, Salary, Contract and Cycling Career!Brandon McNulty set to make debut in rainbow jersey for UAE Team Emirates-XRG - UAE team Emirates
Analysed 4 sources, written and summarised with AI · How we work