Brandon McNulty, 28, won the men’s road race world title in Montreal on September 27, ending a 33-year wait for an American man. He is the first US winner since Lance Armstrong in 1993.

McNulty attacked with 32 kilometers to go in the 273.4-kilometer race and finished in 6 hours, 17 minutes and 4 seconds. His lead shrank to 10 seconds with 10 kilometers left, but the chasers failed to cooperate. He won by 13 seconds over Australia’s Michael Matthews, with the Netherlands’ Mathieu van der Poel third.

“I knew something could happen but it would take a miracle. I guess today, a miracle happened,” McNulty said. He added that he did not believe he would win until the last 300 meters. Two-time defending champion Tadej Pogacar was absent, still recovering from a crash last month.

McNulty won the Montreal Grand Prix last year and will wear the rainbow jersey for the next 12 months. The victory marks a breakthrough for American road cycling, which has struggled to produce a world champion for a generation.