McNulty debuts in the rainbow jersey as Nairo bids farewell to cycling at the Giro dell’Emilia

The Giro di Emilia will celebrate its 109th edition this Saturday, October 3, with 198 kilometers between Ferrara and Bologna and the traditional finish at the San Luca climb. One of the great classics of the Italian autumn will also feature Brandon McNulty debuting in the rainbow jersey of world champion and Nairo Quintana facing the last race of his professional career.

Brandon McNulty will debut in the rainbow jersey after being crowned world champion in Montreal

Less than a week after winning the World Championship in Montreal, Brandon McNulty will put on a number again, this time wearing the rainbow jersey for the first time.

The 28-year-old American became world champion last Sunday after attacking 33 kilometers from the finish and completing the decisive stretch of the race solo. McNulty thus became the first American to win the elite men's road World Championship in 33 years. He will now begin his journey as world champion in Italy.

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“I am very excited to debut with the rainbow jersey this Saturday. The victory in Montreal has been huge for me and I am still processing it,” McNulty explained before his return to competition.

The American, however, assures that wearing the rainbow will not change his way of racing or his role within the UAE Team Emirates-XRG.

“It is an honor to wear the rainbow jersey, but that does not change my focus. We will continue to compete as always. Whether attacking or helping my teammates, I know my role well and we know what works for us,”.

UAE will attend the Giro di Emilia with a particularly strong team. Alongside McNulty will be Igor Arrieta, Filippo Baroncini, Felix Großschartner, Jhonatan Narváez, Tim Wellens, and Adam Yates.

Additionally, the team arrives after winning the last two editions of the event. Tadej Pogačar won in 2024 and Isaac del Toro did so in 2025.

The Giro di Emilia will only be the beginning of McNulty's Italian campaign. The American plans to compete the next day in the Coppa Agostoni and return on Tuesday for the Tre Valli Varesine. His presence is also expected in Il Lombardia, scheduled for October 10.

Nairo Quintana closes his career where he achieved one of his first major victories

For Nairo Quintana, the Giro di Emilia will have a completely different meaning. The Colombian from Movistar Team has chosen this classic to end his professional career at the age of 36.

The choice carries significant symbolic weight. Quintana already won this same race in 2012, during his first season with Movistar. That victory in San Luca was his first win in Italy and one of the first major international performances of a career that would soon place him among the best grand tour riders of his generation.

“It is a special race for me because I have won many races in Italy, but this was the first. I have a great affection for Italy and a very nice relationship with the Italian public. That is why we chose this race to close my career,” the Colombian explained.

Quintana had decided with his family two years ago that 2026 would be the time to leave professional cycling. In a recent interview, he explained that the decision is not solely based on his physical performance.

“The watts are still the same, I still perform very well, but there is a psychological fatigue,” he acknowledged. The Colombian also explained that he had planned these last years as a transition to other projects and that he wanted to give back to cycling part of what this sport had given him.

His last season has still allowed him to raise his arms in victory again. In April, he won a stage and the overall classification of the Vuelta a Asturias, a victory that Quintana himself attributes special significance within this final stretch of his career.

The Giro di Emilia will thus close a professional career in which the highlights include, above all, the Giro d'Italia in 2014 and the Vuelta a España in 2016. Quintana also finished second in the Tour de France in 2013 and 2015 and third in 2016, in addition to winning races such as Tirreno-Adriatico, Volta a Catalunya, Tour de Romandie, and Vuelta al País Vasco.

His last appearance with Movistar will be alongside Roger Adrià, Michel Hessmann, Juanpe López, Pelayo Sánchez, Jorge Arcas, and Einer Rubio.

Fourteen years after winning in San Luca, Nairo Quintana will return to the Giro di Emilia to race his last kilometers as a professional cyclist.