The Big Picture of Sport News: Velo News, McNulty will get shot to start a grand tour in 2020

Brandon McNulty, the highly touted all-rounder heading to UAE-Team Emirates in 2020, will have a shot at a grand tour in his rookie WorldTour season.

• Team officials told VeloNews the 21-year-old will have a “complete” racing schedule next season, with plenty of chances to test his mettle in a variety of races, including one of cycling’s three-week grand tours.
• “I’ve already spoken with Brandon and we’d like that he can test himself in a grand tour, be it a Giro or Vuelta,” said Matxin Joxean Fernández, lead sport director at UAE-Team Emirates. 
• “Later we’ll see his evolution. We want him to have the room to race in big races, without unnecessary pressure, but to be able to get a taste of these more important events.”
• “He is a modern rider. He’s a climber who rides well in the time trial,” Fernández told VeloNews. 
• “We are going to offer him all the tools he needs to improve. Not only a strong team and a good calendar, but also something that is not spoken about much in professional cycling, but cariño,” said Fernández, citing a Spanish term for support and affection.
• “We want him to push himself and take some risks just to see if he can fulfill his full potential as a rider.”
• Fernández said McNulty has all the characteristics to emerge as a star rider, and said he need look no further than future teammate Tadej Pogačar as a role model. 

References:

Velo News, McNulty will get shot to start a grand tour in 2020, Andrew Hood, November 11, 2019.