The quest for Classics glory restarts for Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) this week, as the US rider returns to full training and said he is ‘pain-free’ since withdrawing 10 days ago from stage 6 at Tirreno-Adriatico.
It was only one month ago that the 27-year-old embarked on his 2024 campaign with an emphasis on the Spring Classics, circling Milan-San Remo on the calendar as a target to move onto the podium from seventh last year. Once La Primavera arrived, the start list for EF Education-EasyPost did not include their rising Classics star, as he watched on television as teammate Alberto Bettiol battled in the closing sprint finish, only to finish two spots off the podium behind winner Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck).
“It was definitely hard to just watch Milano-Sanremo. I was screaming for Bettiol, and, at the same time, I just wanted to be there so badly. But I know we’ve made the right decision with me not racing there,” he said in a team statement about missing the first Monument of the season.
“Normally, this would probably be the most intense training and racing period of the year apart from the Tour de France. It’s quite a few hands on deck at the team to get me healthy, and that’s made me feel like I’ve been getting well looked after. I have a lot of good people taking care of me and looking out for me, so I’m confident we’ve been making the right calls so far.”
His fifth season with EF Education has been bumpy so far, with DNFs at two stage races and a crash with an unfruitful chase that resulted in 86th at Strade Bianche. His most recent spill came on the penultimate day of racing at Tirreno-Adriatico, when he left stage 6 due to pain around his right knee. He rested for several days and then resumed light training with workouts targeting his lower back, hips and feet.
“The pain came on quite aggressively. He had something similar in his left knee last year, which is why he was so mindful about leaving the race because he didn’t want to aggravate it,” said Matt Rabin, the team’s chiropractor and head of athlete care.
“We expect he will resume his normal training on Tuesday [March 19]. He’s on the right path.”
In a team statement, Powless’ pain stemmed from a combination of factors and not a single crash. On the early part of a cold, rainy stage 4 at O Gran Camiño, the 27-year-old US rider made a solo move to distance the peloton but skidded off the road into an area of pooled water from a strong gust of wind. He suffered only road rash, but once momentum slowed to shut down his attack, Powless later withdrew from the race at the team bus before the final climb.
“The priority is to let Neilson rest up and make sure his injury is completely healed and that he is completely healthy and ready to go. And that’s when he’ll come back to racing,” said team CEO Jonathan Vaughters. A team statement noted that Powless had confirmed he was “pain-free” in recent days with his training efforts at 90% of intensity.
“Right now, Neilson is having problems, and Alberto [Bettiol] is on top of his game. Last year, it was the exact opposite. Of course, I would love it if both of them were on top of their games at the same time, but that’s not the case.”
A date for Powless to return to action had not been set, but he remained resolute about his early season goals and winning a spring Classic, or one of the five Monuments, now with one opportunity missed and four to go.
“A Monument win would probably be the biggest goal that I have right now. I feel it is attainable, a realistic goal that I have for myself. That’s not easy by any means, it’s very, very, very difficult to win one,” Powless told Cyclingnews before his start at O Gran Camiño.
“I’ve been sort of at the front of big one-day races now for about two years, kicking off when I had a win at San Sebastián. That’s what gave me the confidence of chasing after those results a little bit more.”
His one-day WorldTour breakthrough victory came at San Sebastián in 2021. Last year he showed great form to start the year with a GC win at Etoile de Bessèges then scored top 10s in a series of one-day races, including third at Dwars door Vlaanderen and fifth at Tour of Flanders.
There are 10 more days to the next Monument at the 2024 Tour of Flanders, and Powless may be back on track.
“So long as I can do a full week’s training or so without any problems, then we’ll start to decide on a return race,” Neilson said. “I’m just itching for it, but I have a lot of people looking out for me, and I appreciate that.”
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