Brandon McNulty of UAE Team Emirates-XRG attacked decisively with 10 kilometres remaining to win the Veneto Classic on October 18, the Emirates News Agency reported. The world champion dropped his breakaway companion Anthon Charmig of Uno-X Mobility on the steep gravel section of the Diesel Farm climb before soloing to the finish in Bassano del Grappa. Pavel Sivakov, McNulty’s teammate, took third place at one minute 32 seconds, while Christian Scaroni of XDS Astana Team placed sixth as the top Italian rider. The 157-kilometre race from Cittadella featured cobblestones, gravel sectors and repeated climbs that shaped the decisive late moves.
McNulty’s triumph marked the 78th victory of the 2026 season for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, according to team tallies that stood at 77 wins entering the final Italian Classic. The American rider, who claimed the UCI World Road Race title in Montreal on September 27, described the moment as special. “It’s really special to win with the rainbow jersey,” McNulty said. “I really wanted to win a race before the end of the season, today was the last day to do it, so I’m very happy.” He credited the team’s control on the climbs for setting up his attack.
The squad had targeted the Veneto Classic after finishing second at the preceding Giro del Veneto, a ProCyclingStats summary of the campaign showed. McNulty had placed second in the Coppa Agostoni and fifth at the Tour of Lombardy in the weeks after his world title, building form for the late-season Italian races. His solo victory came after he and Charmig distanced the chase group with 19 kilometres to go, before the final acceleration on the day’s hardest ascent.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG entered the race with the rainbow jersey for the third consecutive season, following Tadej Pogacar’s back-to-back world titles in prior years, UCI records indicate. McNulty’s success represented his second win of 2026 and his 24th professional victory overall. The team fielded a strong squad including Tim Wellens, Benoît Cosnefroy and António Morgado, who supported the pace-making on the demanding circuit.
Season statistics from ProCyclingStats place the 78 wins as the latest in a string of dominant campaigns for the Emirati squad, which topped the 2026 UCI team rankings with more than 30,000 points. The total included multiple stage wins and general classifications across the Grand Tours, where Pogacar secured the Tour de France title, alongside national championships and one-day successes. The Veneto Classic served as one of the final European events before the squad shifts focus to remaining races such as the Chrono des Nations.
The win capped McNulty’s first season wearing the world champion’s jersey, which he celebrated at the finish alongside his wife, mirroring the moment from his Montreal triumph. Race organisers noted the event’s role as a traditional closer to the Italian calendar since its introduction in 2021. UAE Team Emirates-XRG has now recorded victories at the Veneto Classic on three occasions, team announcements confirmed.
