let's be real: Phoenix just got a cycling moment that lands hard. Brandon McNulty, from Phoenix, became the first American in 33 years to win the Elite Men’s Road Race World Title at the 2026 UCI Road World Championships. That is not a small line in the record book. That is the kind of finish that snaps attention across the Valley, because when one of our own goes and does something nobody from the U.S. has done since 1993, people notice.
McNulty found his breakthrough on the roads outside Montréal, where he put together a dominant solo ride and a full-team effort behind it. What does it say about a rider when the biggest stage in the sport turns into his stage, and what does it say about Phoenix when one of its own is the one standing at the top of the world? It says the Valley has another name to remember, and this one comes with a title that has been a long time coming.
