History was made on two wheels this Sunday. The UAE Emirates cycling team shattered a long-standing record. They clinched their 86th victory of the season. American rider Brandon McNulty delivered the decisive win. He triumphed at the Tour of Luxembourg. This achievement puts them above the 85 wins set by the now-defunct Columbia-HTC team.
McNulty’s win wasn’t just another notch on his belt. It secured the overall title in Luxembourg after five days of tough racing. He finished 47 seconds ahead of Denmark’s Mattias Skjelmose. Skjelmose rides for Lidl-Trek. Richard Carapaz from Ecuador took third place, 1 minute, 4 seconds back. Carapaz rides for EF Education-EasyPost. This victory came just a week after Montreal. McNulty had won the Grand Prix of Montreal. His teammate Tadej Pogacar had generously set him up for that win. The 27-year-old American has been on a roll. He was a runner-up in Luxembourg last year. This made his overall win extra sweet.
This 86th win means UAE Emirates has set a new benchmark. They surpassed the 85 victories set by Columbia-HTC in 2009. That now-defunct American team had stars. André Greipel, Mark Cavendish, and Tony Martin were big names there. But 2025 truly belongs to UAE Emirates. Their roster boasts serious firepower. João Almeida, second in the Vuelta a España, is on the team. Fellow Portuguese riders Ivo Oliveira, Rui Oliveira, and António Morgado are also members. And, of course, there’s Tadej Pogacar. The Slovenian has won the Tour de France four times.
Many riders contributed to this incredible tally. Pogacar himself racked up 16 wins. Mexico’s Isaac Del Toro added 13 victories. Almeida chipped in with 10 triumphs. Juan Ayuso from Spain secured 8 wins. Australian Jay Vine got 5. McNulty contributed 4 wins, including his Luxembourg victory. Ecuadorian Jhonatan Narváez also had 4. Ivo Oliveira earned 4 wins. António Morgado and Marc Soler each contributed 3 victories.
McNulty’s fourth win of 2025 was also his 20th career victory. He had already claimed two stages in the Tour of Poland. He dominated the general classification there. He also won the individual time trial in stage seven. The Grand Prix of Montreal was another major win. The final stage in Luxembourg stretched 176.4 kilometers. It ran from Mersch to Luxembourg City. French rider Romain Grégoire sprinted to win the stage. Grégoire rides for Groupama-FDJ. McNulty finished fourth, 55 seconds behind Grégoire. This was more than enough to secure his overall title.
Portuguese rider Tiago Antunes had a strong showing. He finished 21st in the Tour of Luxembourg. Antunes, from Efapel, was 6 minutes, 2 seconds behind McNulty. His teammates also completed the race. Joaquim Silva placed 52nd. André Carvalho finished 99th. Pedro Pinto came in 103rd.