'It's been a super year' says Brandon McNulty after GP Miguel Induráin victory

Bursting past Maxim Van Gils (Lotto Dstny) on the home straight of Saturday's GP Miguel Induráin, Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates) was as surprised as anybody at his recovery to win the Spanish one-day race.

On the steep slopes of the final climb just minutes earlier, Van Gils had distanced the American and pushed on alone over the summit, looking set to take his second win of 2024. But with an impressive descent, McNulty reappeared and had enough left in the tank to win the two-up sprint.

"I attacked on, I guess you could say the last long climb, and then just a little kicker," McNulty explained after the finish. "I had a gap to the last steep climb and he caught me, I thought I was done, and then I came back on the downhill and won the sprint."

His face was a picture of surprise and joy in equal measure, with his recovery all the more commendable given his solo attack earlier in the day. The front of the race had seen a sea of attacks over the Alto de Erau and its accompanying peaks and troughs above Estella, but it was McNulty's long-ranger that seemed to stick.

The 25-year-old attacked with 9.1km to ride and quickly developed a substantial gap on his opponents, who counted Stephen Williams (Israel-Premier Tech), Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) and Simon Yates (Jayco AlUla) among their number. It was a ride indicative of McNulty's flying form in the early months of the seasons, which has yielded four individual victories and a team time trial success alongside his UAE Team Emirates colleagues at Paris-Nice.

Read more: Talking the issue of self-confidence and UAE’s crowded leadership with Brandon McNulty

"It has been a good year, it's been super! I am looking forward to more," said McNulty, who was leading UAE Team Emirates alongside Juan Ayuso and Pavel Sivakov in Spain.

McNulty's initial attack was bridged by Van Gils and with a surge of acceleration, the Belgian was able to distance the 25-year-old over the final stretch of uphill. McNulty's hopes, which at that point looked doomed, were reignited on the descent. Ultimately, the American will be remembered as the day's winner thanks to a quick turn of speed at the finish line.

"It was crazy but it was a good day!"

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On the attack, McNulty stakes his claim to be UAE Team Emirates' protected rider at Itzulia

The American's attention will now turn to Itzulia Basque Country, where McNulty will look to build on a fantastic third-place finish at Paris-Nice.

He will have to overcome Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) should he dream of picking up his first WorldTour stage-race victory, but an impressive win at GP Miguel Induráin is not a bad way to start his block in Spain.

"Another big goal for us but this is a good way to come with confidence," were his closing remarks.

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