McNulty looking to rebound from California disappointment at Tour de Suisse

13 June 2019 05:00
After finishing seventh at the Tour of California in 2018, Brandon McNulty went into this year's race with high ambitions and the backing of his Rally UHC Cycling team, which had helped shepherd him to the overall victory of the Giro di Sicilia just weeks earlier. A flu virus McNulty picked up after Fleche Wallonne knocked the 21-year-old American out of the California race, however. Now he's ready to bounce back at the upcoming Tour de Suisse, looking to prove what he can do against WorldTour competition when his health is intact. "Tour of California was a bit of a disaster, and I had to take over a week off the bike," McNulty said in an interview published on the team's website. "I just had to reset physically and mentally. Sometimes doing nothing is the best training. At this point, I’m happy to be feeling normal again and look forward to racing in Switzerland with my teammates."ADVERTISEMENT The US-based Pro Continental team will head into the Tour de Suisse with a roster that includes sprinters Colin Joyce and Ryan Anderson, while Robin Carpenter will help in the leadout while also chasing stage wins from the escapes. For the mountains, the team will field a three-pronged attack that includes McNulty, Rob Britton and Gavin Mannion. WorldTour veteran and road captain Svein Tuft will round out the seven-rider roster. "I think we have a nice mix of riders and can do a lot of things at this race," McNulty said. "Robin is riding super strong and fills a lot of roles. Randy and Colin will contest the sprints, Rob, Gavin, and I will take a run at the GC and daddy Svein will keep both riders and directors in line to make sure we don’t do anything too silly." McNulty's California effort took the first hit on the high-altitude stage 2 slog to South Lake Tahoe, where he finished 57th and lost more than eight minutes to the leaders. McNulty tried to fight through the illness, even making the breakaway on stage 5, but he was forced to abandon the following day on the queen stage to Mt. Baldy. Since then, he's refocused his energy to get back on track. You can read more at Cyclingnews.com.read full article

Source: Cycling News