Dwars Door Vlaanderen 2025, Powless mocks Visma-Lease a Bike

Rome, 2 April 2025 – From holders of the race thanks to Matteo Jorgenson's success a year ago to protagonists of a real tactical disaster: the Dwars Door Vlaanderen 2025 goes to Neilson Powless, who won the sprint after a day dominated by Visma-Lease a Bike, then forced to settle for the backup positions. In the similar women's race Elisa Longo Borghini is celebrating instead, with Lotte Kopecky regulating Elisa Balsamo in the sprint of defeats.

Race report

Speaking of losers: behind the board, Visma-Lease a Bike ends up en masse, including the reigning winner Jorgenson, who soon lights the fuse. Tiesj Benoot and Wout Van Aert leave with the American: with them there is also Powless, who instead plays for EF Education-EasyPost and who will do anything but play the role of extra. The quartet starts 70 km from the finish line, with the surrender behind them that will be well demonstrated by the fifth final place of Mads Pedersen, which however confirms the excellent legs in view of the Tour of Flanders. Everything seemed set for a yellow-and-black success, with Van Aert possibly leading the trio on the podium. Instead, for Visma-Lease a Bike, a script already seen exactly 10 years ago at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad was repeated: the protagonists at the time were, respectively, Quick-Step, with three men in contention for victory, and Ian Stannard, the actual winner who rode for Team Sky. So, in the end, Visma-Lease a Bike found itself unknowingly leading the sprint for Powless, who beat a Van Aert who was still dry this season and from today it is clear why. The trio is in fact there, but not in the order hoped for by the Dutch team, and completing it are Benoot and Jorgenson.

The statements of Van Aert and Powless

Its Van Aert, which is confirmed as follows 'mister second place', then takes the blame for what is in all respects a debacle for his team. "Coming into a group with four riders, three of whom are from his team, if you don't win you have necessarily made a mistake. I am fully responsible for this defeat. I decided to aim for the sprint and I asked Tiesj and Matteo to carry me to the finish line. I felt confident about my chances of winning, but during the sprint I felt cramps and then Powless proved stronger". Demerits of the yellow and black men, but also many merits of the pink rider, who succeeds his compatriot Jorgenson on the roll of honor. "I didn't expect to get what is the most important victory of my career. I still can't believe it even though I felt very good today. When I saw the group I was convinced I was only competing for second place, but now I can say that I'm really happy after a start to spring that was anything but easy for me. But beating Van Aert in a sprint, something I thought was impossible, is really worth a lot".