Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) may not have had the spring he was hoping for – having to sit out the Classics as a nagging injury stopped him pinning on a number for nearly two months – but the rider from the United States is now ready to race again with plenty of time to build toward his next major goal of the season, the Tour de France.
The first race back for the American will be Eschborn-Frankfurt on Wednesday, with Powless ready to reset from his knee injury at the one-day WorldTour race in Germany.
"I'm not really 100 per cent sure where I'll be fitness-wise for Eschborn-Frankfurt, but I'll be racing tomorrow, and I'm really excited to just get back in the peloton and get back with my teammates and feel the rhythm of a race again," said Powless in a team statement.
After crashing out of O Gran Camiño on a windy stage 4 and then leaving Tirreno-Adriatico on stage 6 with aggressive knee pain, the 27-year-old was initially expected to be able to resume training in the latter half of March. But it turned out a much longer break from the bike was required due to an inflamed patella tendon. Powless started training again two weeks ago, though did have some illness thrown in to interrupt his first week.
Powless kept up his fitness by exercising off the bike while recovering, with the former triathlete taking to the Mediterranean near his home in Nice and swimming during his recovery. As well as finding alternate ways to keep fit, the change in schedule has also thrown up an opportunity to pursue alternate goals.
"On the bright side, this whole situation has opened up a window for me to race nationals and that's really exciting. I didn't think I was going to be able to race nationals, but now it's in the cards," he said, with the USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships taking place from May 14-19.
"I’ve always just had so much fun racing nationals, even though I haven't won yet. Maybe this year will finally be the year."
After the initial reboot with one-day events, Powless is planning to begin stage racing at the Tour de Suisse before tackling his fifth Tour de France – a race where he has narrowly missed out on a maiden stage win, finishing fourth on three occasions.
"I think my body came healthy right at the perfect time to have a nice, steady build for the Tour. I'm not rushing anything right now, but the fitness is coming along pretty well," said Powless who will also be adding in altitude training after racing at the National Championships.
"My prep going into the Tour should still remain the same. Hopefully, this has just given me some added freshness."
