Benjamn Noval left Montreal with two Rainbow Jerseys, a place alongside Remco Evenepoel in junior cycling history and his reputation as one of the brightest teenage talents in the sport strengthened further still. Two years earlier, his rise had come close to being interrupted before it had properl...

Seventeen years after first representing Colombia, Nairo Quintana will pull on his national colours for the final time at the World Championships in Montreal on Sunday. By the time he takes them off again, only one race will remain in one of the most successful careers Colombian cycling has ever pro...

The rollout of the long-awaited next-generation Shimano Dura-Ace R9300 groupset appears to be gathering momentum, with Mathieu van der Poel using the unreleased components at the World Championships road race in Montral on Sunday.The Dutchman had been spotted riding it during the course reconnaissance on Wednesday as well, and must have deemed it race-worthy on a course that has seen a lot of dropped chains and mechanicals over the past week. The tell-tale features of the new groupset are the protruding shift buttons on the inside of the hoods, and, if you're able to get close enough to count the rings of the cassette, the 13-speed drivetrain. The prototype groupset was previously spotted at the Vuelta a Espaa, and at the Tour de Luxembourg, where Van der Poel escaped on a 174 km solo to win stage 5. Uncertainty remains over whether Shimano riders are running full production-ready groupsets or if there are still tweaks to be made before the commercial product is released. Van De Poel has been riding the Dura-Ace R9370 carbon spoked wheels for well over a year, and a leaked DT Swiss specification sheet back in August confirmed that the new groupset will use a new freehub body standard to accommodate a smaller 13th cog. The big question still remains: will the new groupset be fully wireless? Riders spotted on the new R9300 are all clearly running the new shifters, with their renewed ergonomics and satellite shifting buttons. But the rear derailleur has a visible wire, which appears to be a refined R9200 design rather than a road adaptation of the brand's fully wireless GRX gravel groupsets. Mathieu van der Poel at the start of the men's elite race at the 2026 UCI Road World Championships (Image credit: Getty Images)Many unknowns remain about the new R9300 Dura-Ace groupset, and both Shimano and its sponsored teams remain tight-lipped. However, its appearance at a race as high-profile as the UCI World Championships suggests that whatever parts are in use are unlikely to be mere prototypes. Riders of Van De Poels calibre, who have a legitimate shot at the rainbow bands, wouldn't be taking the risk of using unproven components. The Dutchman was already burned by prototype tech early in the season at Paris-Roubaix, when he punctured twice on the Arenberg and was left unable to ride teammate Jasper Philipsen's bike due to incompatibility with the new Shimano SPD-SLR cleats. Dura Ace has traditionally launched in the summer, aligning with the season's biggest race, the Tour de France. With Il Lombardia on October 10, the only elite men's race left this season, a full commercial release now looks unlikely until early 2027.

A man on a mission, dedicated intent. Its a long way to Tipperary, but its a lot quicker with Kelly in the saddle. A time trial is turning out to be a sprint. And then, as the noise in Clonmel began to rise: Look at the crowds, look at the enthusiasm here in Clonmel. KELLY

Nine years after his last recorded race, Vladimr Kovik is back on a start line in extraordinary circumstances. The 28-year-old has gone from working behind the scenes with the Slovak national team to lining up alongside Remco Evenepoel, Mathieu van der Poel and Isaac del Toro in the elite men's r...

The elite men's road race at the 2026 World Championships has burst into life with more than 80 kilometres still to race, as Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel helped force a dangerous six-man move clear on the Mont-Royal circuit. They were joined by Primoz Roglic, Oscar Onley, Quinn Simmons and...

Remco Evenepoel was noticeably quieter than expected as the elite men's road race at the 2026 World Championships began to explode on the Mont-Royal circuit, and Thibau Nys has now offered an explanation. After stepping off himself, the Belgian revealed that Evenepoel had told him he was not feeling...

Jonas Vingegaards absence from the World Championships has prompted plenty of debate in Denmark, but national coach Michael Morkov has pushed back firmly against the suggestion that the two-time Tour de France winner simply has no interest in chasing the rainbow jersey. That accusation came from Br...

Brandon McNulty claimed his first World Championship and the biggest win of his career in Montral this afternoon. In a chaotic and attritional race the American timed his move to perfection attacking with 33km left to race and despite clearly lacking energy in the final stages held on to take the rainbow jersey.The American team used their strength in Montral well and were present at the front of the race throughout first with Quinn Simmons, then Matteo Jorgenson and finally McNulty.The 28 year-old from Phoenix had not entered the race as one of the favourites but newly crowned time trial world champion Remco Evenepoel, aggressive-riding Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel and young Mexican Isaac del Toro all rode strongly but ultimately came up short.Behind McNulty the closing stages were marked by the chasers trying to escape and claim the remaining medals but it came to a sprint with Michael Matthews taking silver and Mathieu van der Poel taking bronze.At the finish McNulty said he was lost for words. He said: The last lap I was in zone two I was just dying but I kept pushing.He added he had joked with his wife this morning about winning. He said: I knew something could happen but itd take a miracle and today, I guess, miracles do happen.McNulty is the first American to win the World Championship road race in 33 years. The last American to wear the rainbow jersey was Lance Armstrong who won in 1993 in Oslo.The race in Montreal had been a chaotic affair. Soon after the flag dropped a group of 17 riders went clear. The biggest name among them was Biniam Girmay from Eritrea, but the sprinter was, rightly, not considered a serious threat for the win on the hill course. With 106km to go the remains of the break was finally caught, thanks mostly from the pressing of Frenchman Bruno Armirail, he was distanced once the junction was made.A few kilometres later France forced a split in the peloton drawing away a group that by the top of the climb numbered 11 riders. It was made up of Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel, Brit Oscar Onley, Irishman Ben Healy, Belgian Maxim van Gils, Frenchman Alex Baudin, Norwegian Jrgen Nordhagen, Colombian Santiago Buitrago, Danes Anthon Charmig and Andreas Kron and Italians Christian Scaroni and Giulio Pellizzari. But eventually it was shut down and with 87km to go Wout van Aert went on the offensive. His move was covered by Van de Poel and Onley.The leading trio were soon joined by Charmig and Primo Rogli of Slovenia and Quinn Simmons from the USA.As they crossed the finish line with six laps to go they had a gap of 40 seconds.As the climb approached Tom Pidcock, among the outside contenders for the win, was seen making his way back to the back of the peloton after suffering a crash. It was bad timing as the pace was high. On the climb Isaac del Toro came to the front and slashed the breaks advantage to 15 seconds, dropping much of the peloton, including Pidcock, in the process. Perhaps sensing the vulnerability, van der Poel attacked the front group. Simmons and Onley responded and with 73km to go the three were alone at the front of the race.The third group on the road, containing pre-race favourite Remco Evenepoel and del Toro, was now 27 seconds behind the leaders. The trio of van Aert, Charmig and Rogli were halfway between them.The following laps were marked by attack and counter attack from the groups behind the leaders. With three laps to go all the groups could see each other in the finishing straight. And up the main climb Irishman Ben Healy, who had been busy animating the race, joined the front and on the descent the chase group finally came across. The USAs Matteo Jorgenson immediately attack and took Giulio Ciccone and Pidcock with him. They were brought to heel but no sooner had the group reformed than Brandon McNulty launched and swiftly built a buffer of 30 seconds.As co-operation proved elusive in the chase with attacks and counter attacks McNultys advantage spiralled out to nearly a minute.The final ascent of the main climb of the circuit saw Ciccone and Pidcock accelerate off the front in a bid to claim the remaining medals behind McNulty but they couldnt build much of a gap. McNulty was fading now but never let the chase get within 10 seconds of his rear wheelAt the finish, as McNulty looked over his shoulder, they sprinted behind and Michael Matthews came out on top ahead of Mathieu van der Poel.

Brandon McNulty could barely make sense of what he had just achieved after surviving one of the wildest World Championship finales in recent memory to claim the rainbow jersey in Montreal. The American ended his country's 33-year wait for an elite men's road world title with a 13-second victory over...