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Watch Brandon McNulty execute a perfectly-timed, textbook attack to win a stage of Paris-Nice

The American took his first WorldTour win

March 11, 2022
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UAE’s Brandon McNulty gave a masters class on how to time your attack on Thursday at Stage 5 of Paris-Nice. The American, who was behind on the overall, got into an early move which eventually would grow to 10 riders. Once the race settled, it was clear the winner would come from that break, with the GC leaders content to duke it amongst themselves in the main group.

The break was working well, but with 39 km to go, some riders decided to try and shake things up and reduce the numbers. After a flurry of attacks, there was the classic moment in a race: the lull on the Col de la Mur. The lull is that moment, which could be seconds, when riders look at each other after multiple attacks and the break has a collective sigh of relief. It’s the “now what?” moment of racing

If you’re a savvy and observant rider, you can feel that moment, and you know it’s time to pounce. By attacking in the lull, the break will be momentarily confused and everyone will hesitate. By the time anyone reacts, it’s usually too late, and riders will be too busy watching each other, afraid to commit. Meanwhile, you’re hammering up the road giving it your all, quickly establishing a gap. If you’re interested in his numbers during the attack, you can also check out his Strava here.

McNulty did just that, putting almost two minutes into the second-place finisher.

Watch the U.S. rider show us how it’s done below.