Brandon McNulty debuts 2022 at Mallorca Challenge
Arizonan looks to carry momentum out of 2021; Davide Formolo sidelined for six weeks.
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Brandon McNulty debuts his third season in the WorldTour this week at the Mallorca Challenge.
The 23-year-old is coming off a spectacular sophomore season, and will anchor UAE Emirates in the series of one-day races on Spain’s Mallorca starting Wednesday.
“After a really nice training camp with the whole squad the team are ready and excited to kick things off for the first part of the season,” said UAE sport director Joxean Matxín Fernández. “The parcours of each of these races in Mallorca demand different qualities so we’ll have a very balanced team here.”
Also read: Brandon McNulty on short list for Tour, Vuelta double in 2022
“We’ll count on [Pascal] Ackermann and [Juan] Molano for the sprints while on the climbs we have a talented block of guys who can be dangerous and look for opportunities,” he said. “The goal will be to animate each race and be leading from the front as always.”
McNulty will be racing for the first time since ending his 2021 season with Il Lombardia.
The Arizonan will be hoping to top his 2021 season that included a debut at the Tour de France, where he helped Tadej Pogačar win a second yellow jersey. McNulty also lit up the Olympic Games, finishing sixth in the road race after riding within range of the podium until being reeled in late in the race.
There was a lot to glean from his 2021 season and to build upon for this year.
“It was my first year doing a full WorldTour program,” McNulty said in an earlier interview. “So, it’s nice to have one-week races in doing the tour was a huge learning experience and also at [Itzulia Basque Country]. Riding in leader’s jersey at a WorldTour race, there’s a lot to take from that. So, there are a lot of positives from the last year to put into this year.
“I don’t know if I would change much but I just want to keep improving on my climbing abilities,” he said. “I think my TT kind of really came in this year. With a little bit of improvement there I think I could be close to some victories. There’s some other stuff like the long mountains. I think I have some really good GC chances at the highest races.”
McNulty will have a busy first half of 2022, with stops at the Volta ao Algarve, Paris-Nice, and Tour de Romandie before a possible return to the Tour in July.
Schedule for Brandon McNulty in 2022
Mallorca Challenge
Volta ao Algarve
Paris-Nice
Tour de Romandie
Tour de France
Vuelta a España
Six-week stop for Davide Formolo
Davide Formolo could be sidelined for up to six weeks.
Team officials he is recovering from a training crash a few weeks ago, when he suffered a bicortical fracture of the hamate bone of the right wrist.
A team doctor said: “It’s a non-surgical recovery process of 4-6 weeks. At the moment he can train indoors and will undergo follow-up scans in early February. If no further complications should be fit to resume racing in 6 weeks.”
