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Brandon McNulty secured the third stage race victory of his career Sunday, pulling off a fine win in the Cro Race in Croatia.
The Arizonan grabbed the race lead with a 41km breakaway on Thursday’s third stage. He was initially accompanied by Ineos Grenadiers rider Kim Heiduk but dropped the German and reached the line 36 seconds ahead.
McNulty and his UAE Team Emirates squad defended the lead Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with stage 4 winner Tobias Lund Andresen (DSM-Firmenich PostNL) nibbling away at his advantage through time bonuses. However the Dane ultimately finished eight seconds back.
“It was a nice week. Being my last race, it’s nice to end on a high. The team was good defending the jersey all week and trying to take the bonus sprints and everything. In the end it was a nice week for me and the team.”
Sunday’s concluder saw a five man break gain more than two minutes but then be recaptured just inside 20km to go. Andresen took a bonus sprint with 11km to go but couldn’t gap McNulty, with the stage ending in a big bunch gallop.
Oded Kogut (Israel-Premier Tech) won the sprint ahead of Alexander Kristoff and Tord Gudmestat (both Uno-X Mobility).
McNulty’s win is the 16th of his career, nine of which have happened this season.
BRANDON MCNULTY WINS THE CRO RACE#UAETeamEmirates #WeAreUAE pic.twitter.com/pkFbkHxNyK
— @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamEmiratesUAE) October 6, 2024
In February he scooped stage four of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana. That earned him the race lead and he successfully defended it the following day to win the second, and biggest, stage race of his pro career.
That success was followed by victory in the time trial at the UAE Tour in February. He also took the GP Miguel Indurain in March, plus a trio of time trial victories at the Tour de Romandie, the US national championships and on the opening day of the Vuelta a España.
His Cro Race successes continue that momentum and further confirm his ongoing progression at 26 years of age.
