🇺🇸 American misfit in the world of pro cycling 🐺 Previous editions of "Tuesday Howl" at https://nitter.cf/t.co/WeOGao7hmb
United States Of America
Joined March 2026
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Maybe I'm watching this era differently than a lot of cycling fans.
I didn't get to watch Stage 1 of the Tour de Suisse live and couldn't really keep up with the race because of work yesterday. But reading through the comments afterward got me thinking.
So many of the reactions weren't really about the ride itself. They were about what it supposedly means for the rest of the race, the Tour de France, and even the state of cycling as a whole.
As someone who came to the sport relatively recently, I've been surprised by how much frustration there is among some longtime fans about Pogačar's dominance. I understand the concern. Sports are often more exciting when the outcome feels uncertain. But what caught me off guard wasn't the criticism itself—it was just how strong some of it seemed.
Maybe I see it differently because Pogačar is the rider who pulled me deeper into cycling in the first place.
Following him through the spring classics, stage races, and one-day races opened up the entire cycling calendar for me. But it wasn't just more races. It was more riders. I then started paying attention to Americans trying to make their mark in Europe, learning the stories of domestiques, young prospects, classics specialists, sprinters, climbers, and all the personalities that make the sport what it is.
And honestly, it even led me to many of you.
Some of the best parts of following cycling over the last few months haven't just been the races themselves, but the conversations before, during, and after them. I've learned a ton from longtime fans, discovered races I otherwise never would have watched, and found a community that's made the sport far more enjoyable than simply tuning in for the biggest event each July.
That's why I sometimes struggle to see Pogačar's dominance as a negative in itself. Without it, I'm not sure I would have fallen down this rabbit hole in the first place.
It makes me wonder whether it's possible to appreciate a generational talent while also wanting competitive racing. Those things don't seem mutually exclusive to me. Maybe this is simply the natural cycle of sports, and the conversation changes once riders like Vingegaard, Evenepoel, or perhaps even Seixas start consistently taking some of the biggest wins back.
For now, though, I still find myself appreciating what we're watching. But maybe I'm just seeing it through the eyes of someone who's still relatively new to all of this.
And I'm always curious what the rest of you think...
🇺🇸🐺
🤫🤫🤫🤫 or turn your comments back on @fishcanride
“….but the Visma star was quick to praise both McNulty as well as Quinn Simmons, who also marked the late attacks, having been on the attack earlier in the race.
“I’ll accept that. I think Brandon [McNulty] was probably the MVP, but Quinn [Simmons] and I did an amazing race,” Jorgenson told Eurosport. “
🐺Tuesday Howl🐺
🇺🇸 Tuesday Howl #25: Timing Is Everything🕐
Especially in cycling.
I saw this article from Velo asking whether American cycling has reached its “golden generation.”
velo.outsideonline.com/road/…
So...have we?
I’m genuinely curious what people who have followed this sport much longer than I have think. Because, for what it’s worth, I apparently picked one hell of a time to start paying closer attention to cycling - especially American cycling!
When I started this account, part of the motivation was feeling a little out of place in a sport still dominated by fans from outside the US. I was the American guy trying to figure all of this out - and I still very much am. What I didn’t expect was to watch this many American riders have this much success in the same season.
Brandon McNulty - World Champion. I mean that one alone...🤯 Andrew August - 20 years old and a breakout Czech Tour winner. Ashlin Barry - 19 years old and U23 World Champion. And then you factor in some other things in the works.
George Hincapie’s Modern Adventure Pro Cycling @maprocycling is competing at the ProTeam level, with ambitions of eventually reaching the World Tour and Grand Tours the same way I have ambitions of being their X account manager....(no not really lol). And somewhere behind all of THIS is George's son, 18-year-old Enzo Hincapie who probably looks at Ashlin Barry and thinks "why not me next year?".
Then there’s the women. Kristen Faulkner @FaulknerKristen has already given American cycling some enormous moments. And while 2026 hasn’t brought the same volume of elite-level success, the pipeline certainly isn’t empty. Katherine Sarkisov finished 7th in the U23 Worlds. Sophia Wellmeier finished 10th in the Junior Worlds.
So maybe Velo is onto something. Maybe this really is a special period for American cycling. Or maybe I’m just new enough to the sport that everything feels like a big deal😂 Either way, I keep coming back to the same question:
What do we do with it?
Because if American cycling really is having a moment, I don’t think the answer is simply celebrating the results on X. We have to show up. Which is why I keep coming back to the Philadelphia Cycling Classic.
Imagine next year. Brandon McNulty showing up in Philadelphia in the rainbow jersey. I have absolutely no idea if UAE would allow that to happen (probably not) or if he'd even want to go, but if he can dream about a World Championship I can dream about him being at the race. And then look at the potential American contingent if he brought some of his friends!
Maybe this is the moment to start turning American success into American interest. Not because cycling is suddenly going to become the NFL. I'm a "fanatic" but I'm not crazy lol. But has there ever been a bigger group of Americans giving people a reason to watch?
Do you think American cycling is actually in a golden generation right now? Or does it just feel that way because I picked a hell of a time to start watching?
And maybe more importantly:
If the Philadelphia Cycling Classic is back next year, would you consider going? I’d genuinely love to know.
Because if we’re going to capitalize on this moment, maybe it’s time for American cycling fans to start showing up, too.
#Montreal2026 #PhiladelphiaCyclingClassic #USACycling
Just followed you @spetty80 but would be curious your thoughts on this if willing.
If you are looking to continue the American content wave this is a good one to check out! 🇺🇸🐺
"Sin globeros no hay ciclismo". Palabra de Sepp Kuss
🎈 El ciclista estadounidense del Visma ha sido protagonista del último TDPedales que ya puedes ver en @RTVE_play ▶️rtve.es/play/videos/tdpedale…
Since I professionally insulted him (I guess) on here by decrying the fact there isn't more media talking about this in the US, I thought it only fair to share the article by @jasongay regarding McNulty and Team USA's World Championship Victory. #Montréal2026
Brandon McNulty made a career out of helping other people win.
Columnist @jasongay on the American’s historic triumph at the cycling world championships in Montreal. 🔗 on.wsj.com/4AUTxMH
American team, Canadian wolf - so close!
THAT WAS CLOSE… AGAIN 🤏🥹
Another photo finish between Riley Pickrell and Matteo Malucelli. Riley takes 🥈
The boys delivered another killer leadout… Three sprint stages left… but first, we go climbing again!
📸 Sprint Cycling
#LTDL2026
I don't feel like I've seen much said on here or analyzing Remco's race in the WC. Especially for a guy who was the odds on favorite and of course didn't have to battle Pogacar. Seems like a pretty big miss considering he didn't even finish in the top 10. What's the general consensus on this and I'm not just asking for Remco hate here lol. #Montréal2026
I still stand on my earlier post/thoughts that this received almost no mention in major American media today, but credit where credit is due. Thank you to @sportsfan_318 for calling it out!
Sometimes, nice guys finish first. On Brandon McNulty's stunning win at the World Championships.
wsj.com/sports/brandon-mcnul…
🇲🇾The World Keeps Spinning🇺🇸
I know I've said this a few times lately, but cycling really does not stop. We just finished an absolutely epic week of World Championships in Montréal. And while we're still talking about it - Brandon McNulty, World Champion (sorry it's just so fun to type!) - another race is already underway on the other side of the world.
Le Tour de Langkawi in Malaysia is a a UCI 2.Pro stage race. Eight stages. More than 20 teams. Three summit finishes. It's probably not going to get much attention this week, and that's ok.
The biggest races command the biggest spotlight, while plenty of other riders are out there racing just as hard. But everybody has to start somewhere, including 3 Americans from the American team @maprocycling
The three Americans racing are:
Kieran Haug
Scott McGill
Robin Carpenter
Kieran just put together a 13th-place finish on Stage 2, the first summit finish of the race.
So while the cycling world (me included!) is still talking about Montréal...there's more racing. There always is.
#ProCycling
Obviously you know I was happy with the result, but I honestly think VDP's World Championship ride and then Paris Roubaix ride were two of the year's best even though he finished in 3rd and 4th in both of those races. I'm sure he's not thrilled with those results but the rest of us are lucky to get to watch such a legendary competitor.
#Montréal2026 #ParisRoubaix2026
Van der Poel, pese a no ganar, reivindica el ciclismo sin pinganillos tras un Mundial loco: “Por instinto" El neerlandés, bronce en Montreal, defiende las pruebas sin radio porque obligan al ciclista a leer la carretera y tomar sus propias decisiones. marca.com/ciclismo/mundial/2…
I think my allegiance is obvious and I don’t think saying Pog gifted him that win is untrue - just as much saying McNulty didn’t earn that win is also not true. Two things can be true in that instance and that doesn’t make me or anyone else a “fan” for thinking so.
With that being said I’m sure many people won’t enjoy McNulty as the champion just as they wouldn’t if Pogacar was the champion or Remco was the champion or name the rider someone doesn’t prefer. That’s the realm of fandom and you can’t please everyone - especially on here lol.
But maybe McNulty represents all the guys who won’t win a Grand Tour or Monument - but work their ass off just as much as the all time greats. If so, I think we can respect him wearing the jersey for at least one year. If not, well, as they say, there's always next year 🤷♂️
Who is even our new World Champion?
I saw many profiles and “fans” portray Brandon as just a guy who got gifted last year’s GP Montréal by Tadej Pogačar, but that is absolutely not all.
For example, he has a Giro stage win, a Vuelta stage win, and only the Tour stage win is missing to complete the Grand Tour stage win trilogy. He is a multi-national champion in the time trial, an overall winner of the Tour de Pologne WorldTour race, and has won 6 GCs in pro cycling.
He was also wearing the red jersey at the Vuelta and the yellow jersey at Paris-Nice, where he also won a stage. But mainly he is a rider who is willing to do everything for others. Do you not remember that monster pull at the Milano Sanremo for Pogačar?
And today his dream and maybe even something beyond dreaming, he didn’t even believe it could happen came true. And he is our new world champion. 🌈 #Montreal2026
🌈Three for Eight🇺🇸
I've spent most of the past 16 hours scrolling through X, reading the various posts and responses to Brandon McNulty's win and Team USA's, well, teamwork masterclass, as it has been called. Oh, and I slept a little in there too😂
As I've alluded to before, my words and feelings about all of this don't mean any more than anyone else's on here. There are plenty of people who can put this into words far better than I can and I've tried to share some of those. And I'm sure I'll have more thoughts develop over the next week. But for now, I keep looking at this top 10 and thinking:
The USA has THREE guys in the top 8. Three. And no other country has more than one.
Belgium, France and Spain — three countries I think of as giants of cycling — didn't have a single rider in that group. Sorry @BenjiNaesen😬
I know the World Championships can be a different kind of race. National teams, different tactics, different dynamics. And none of this suddenly changes where American cycling sits overall compared with those countries. But still...
Three Americans in the top eight at the World Championships🤯
It's also a little frustrating that something this monumental for American cycling can happen and the vast majority of the country - and so little of the American sports press - will barely mention it. But that's where I keep coming back to what this little account has become for me.
I've had a bunch of people congratulate me over the last day, which still makes me laugh because, you know... I didn't do anything😂 But I appreciate every single one of you who has. Because at the end of the day, that's what I love most about this sport.
Getting to discover it, obsess over it, celebrate it and share the joy of it with people from all over the WORLD.
And now Team USA has given us even more to celebrate. Two World Champions, Ashlin Barry and Brandon McNulty.
🇺🇸🐺
#Montreal2026ᴿᴾ #CyclingCommunity
A happy World Championship week to all, and to all a good night! 🌈🇺🇸🐺
#Montréal2026 #Montreal2026ᴿᴾ
Well this worked out pretty well @InsideOut2912 😂
Whoever wins the Men’s Elite Road Championship tomorrow will be my favorite rider and I will be their number one fan ok @InsideOut2912 😂
#Montréal2026
Another post from someone I love following on here highlighting another important aspect of the Americans race with Quinn Simmons who just missed out on a medal in 4th. I know I joked on here before on how Simmons and McNulty don’t like each other because of Montreal last year and this year but you couldn’t have done what they did as a team without respect and effort for one another! 🇺🇸🤝🇺🇸
Brandon McNulty wins an absolutely godly race. After all, it's not by accident some called him GodNulty even before the race.
This race had multiple twists, turns, resurrections, sufferings, basically everything why we love cycling. And in the midst of chaos, this was all about who was best able to capitalise on their situational advantage. Really hoped that it will be the teams that matter the most and I'm very happy that a collective team performance decided the outcome of the race.
Quinn Simmons's anticipation, willingness, strength, longevity, courage (which almost resulted in medal), Matteo Jorgenson's elegant yet perfect defense and Brandon McNulty's pinpointed attack. Seems very difficult and yes, this had a very little, 2 km frame to make it work, but USA did that perfectly.
Brandon will be an almighty and absolutely worthy wearer and ambassador of the rainbow jersey - even if it will last only for 11 months due to the superworlds that come next August.
#Montréal2026
I had to log off right after the race but this is a fantastic post/thread from @aziiaziizam as Jorgenson was incredible today as he mentions. TEAM 🇺🇸 indeed!
🌈🌈"DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES? YES!"🇺🇸🇺🇸
The words of the the great Al Michaels from the 1980 US/USSR olympic hockey game seem appropriate here as 🇺🇸Brandon McNulty does it! He takes the rainbow jersey off the shoulders of his teammate Tadej Pogacar!
Brandon McNulty, you are a WORLD CHAMPION!!!!
What a legendary day for American Cycling and I feel lucky to have been able to witness it!
#Montreal2026ᴿᴾ #USACycling
