Within minutes of starting his effort in the junior men's time trial at the UCI Road World Championships, it was already apparent that Brandon McNulty (USA) was in a race all of his own, though it would take a little longer for the man himself to realise as much.
The smoothness of McNulty's pedalling seemed like the tell-tale sign of a world champion in waiting, but it would take time for the clock to confirm what the eye already knew. The last man to start, McNulty, was quickest by just six seconds at the midpoint of the 28.9-kilometre course, but he upped the ante in the closing kilometres.
After catching and passing Alexys Brunel (France), who set out a minute before him, and then two-minute man Stefan Bissinger (Switzerland), McNulty finally began to understand that the rainbow jersey was all but his.
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"When I caught the guy that started in front of me, that's when I knew I was putting out a pretty good ride. When I caught the Swiss guy, that's when I knew I was really going pretty good," McNulty said. "When I could see I was catching guys, that was good for my mentality."
With six kilometres remaining, McNulty's lead was up to 18 seconds, and it yawned inexorably upwards from there. He eventually stopped the clock 35 seconds quicker than Mikkel Bjerg (Denmark) and 53 seconds ahead of fellow countryman Ian Garrison.
A bronze medallist on home roads in Richmond last year, McNulty was the consensus favourite for victory in Doha at the end of a season that saw him land the prestigious Tour de l'Abitibi during the summer. "I knew I was capable of it," he said. "I don't feel too much outside pressure, but internally I just wanted to win so badly. But that wasn't a negative pressure, I was just trying to stay positive and motivated."
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