Flanders 2025, Powless dreams: “I am confident, I hope to fight for the victory”

Bologna, 4 April 2025 – Don’t underestimate Neilson Powless for the upcoming Tour of Flanders. The EF standard-bearer is fresh from an incredible success at the Dwaars door Vlanderen, the small Flanders, and is aiming decisively for the podium at the Ronde after the load of confidence for having beaten the big guns of Visma. Incredible what happened in Belgium, where Powless he managed to win a race three against one. After a long breakaway, in fact, the American outsprinted Wout Van Aert, who had been escorted by his comrades Tiesj Benoot and Matteo Jorgenson until the finish. A suicidal and crazy tactic. The three Visma riders, instead of attacking and counterattacking, forcing Powless to exhaust himself to follow them all, decided to push Van Aert to the sprint, but the home rider was outwitted by Powless, who in fact benefited from the other riders' train, outwitting all three 'hornets'. In Flanders, obviously, it will be a different race, also due to the presence of the big favourites Mathieu Van der Poel and Tadej pogacar, but Powless he is convinced he can have a good race.  

Powless: “I’m confident, Flanders is my favourite race”

Winning Flanders for anyone other than Tadej or Mathieu seems impossible, even for Van Aert who still doesn't have the right pedal stroke, let alone for the others. There is a risk of racing for third place, but Powless he has achieved a prestigious victory in a similar race and is aiming for the podium without half measures. He also wants to be a protagonist in Oudenaarde, having won the Clasica de San Sebastian and the Gran Piemonte in the past, two difficult races. The American is in fact a complete rider, he is good on climbs, he can sprint and he is also fast as a rouleur. Flanders seems to be a race for him, phenomena aside: “It is a complete race and it requires you to be a complete cyclist – he said the day before – I am not the best climber and I am not the best sprinter, but I feel complete and I am also quite good as a rouleur. It is a great thing”. Powless dreams of winning in Oudenaarde to enter the Olympic cycling: "If I had to choose I would say that the Ronde is my favorite", was his answer. The business card with the precious success at Dwaars has also provided Powless a significant boost of confidence ahead of Flanders: Neilson is now one of the outsiders in the race. In short, one to keep an eye on: “I hope we can fight for success or at least be in contention for the podium. These are races where you need a bit of luck and a lot of confidence, and I gained a lot of that at Dwaars door Vlanderen”. For a Powless who is a candidate to be the protagonist there is instead an Alberto Bettiol, also formerly of EF, who has withdrawn. The 2019 winner will not be present due to a lung infection and his recovery time is currently uncertain. A great shame; Bettiol was one of the few Italian cards for the great Belgian classic. Read also - Bettiol absent from Flanders 2025: bacterial lung infection