Saturday’s Time Trial for Brandon McNulty might have been a disappointment, but now he feels pretty confident and happy about himself after coming second at the Volta ao Algarve, just behind Remco Evenepoel.
The Portuguese race event had its set of challenges and riders were struggling on the first ascent of the Malhão. Although the exemplary performance was shown by Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, especially Remco Evenepoel who came first as he took control of the race during the final stretch.
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He was certainly feeling good about himself and his overall performance, that is why he was wheeling past the finish line.
I had good legs and went for it in the end. It was nice to have that confidence, but I was out-sprinted. There was nothing to complain about when it comes to getting beaten by those guys.
It was a super aggressive day. People spotted a minor weakness in QuickStep with those guys on the team, but obviously, they defended well and there was definitely a lot of attacking. It took a while for the break to go and then things opened up quite far from the finish. It was super aggressive but enjoyable.
When it came down to statistics, McNulty finished the race at 1:17, this was his best at a multi-event day since Giro di Sicilia in 2019 which he won. He also had some interesting words to share about Daniel Martinez, who came third.
I knew that Martinez was super strong and that he had to be respected, but I figured that he wasn’t going to put five seconds into me on the climb.
Report: @BrandonMcNult seals overall podium at #VAlgarve2022 🇵🇹.
💬 “Coming into this week the plan was to go for the GC and finishing on the podium was definitely a goal.”
📝 https://t.co/qHyl12zoqY#UAETeamEmirates #WeAreUAE pic.twitter.com/ehlikFSEoi
— @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamEmiratesUAE) February 20, 2022
Overall, this was a remarkable achievement by McNulty, sharing the podium with Evenepoel certainly made him feel better.
For sure I’m satisfied with the race and the overall. The time trial could have been a bit better, but I can figure those things out. Racing-wise, it’s been really good. I’m super happy overall. Racing-wise, I keep making steps forward.
The start of the 2022 cycling season has been very exciting and competitive for McNulty. The 60km solo attack to win the Trofeo Calvia was certainly impressive. With the same confidence and valor, he headed to the Volta ao Algarve and came second.
There are certainly more plans ahead, especially in July as he and his teammates will be tackling the Tour De France while also supporting Tadej Pogačar for a victory. Stay tuned for more updates!
Also Read: Egan Bernal Making “Great Progress” With Rehabilitation, Unclear When His Training Will Resume
Featured Image Via Instagram/brandon_mcnulty
