"Hopefully I can take a stage win" - American Neilson Powless talks through Tour de France ambitions

Neilson Powless is a prme stage hunter but has not yet won at the Tour de France yet. Over the coming month the EF Education-EasyPost rider will be going all-out to tick this box off an incredible career which does already feature two triumphs this year.

"My victory in Gippingen gave me the necessary confidence. I think I did my altitude training exactly right this year. In the past, I often felt a bit tired after such an altitude training, but now I put the brakes on a bit and focused on staying fresh. That seems to have paid off," Powless said to In de Leiderstrui.

"I hope to continue that line towards the Tour of course. Last year I wasn't at altitude, but now we tried to make the best of it for three weeks. At the same time, it was also important not to do too much. I didn't make a lot of effort and basically just let the altitude do its work. That seems to work best for me".

At the Tour de Suisse he didn't show his colours too much but right before it he took a motivating victory. After his Dwars door Vlaanderen victory where he beat the trio of Visma riders, he has proven that this year he continues to be riding at his best level. He hopes his new approach will make for a successful Tour. "I'm someone who likes to train hard, but it seems that I'm at my best when I stay fresh. When you're at altitude, stress does enter the body in a certain way. If you keep training as hard as you would at sea level, you're not doing yourself any favours in the end".

With plenty hilly stages in the first 10 days of the race, he will set his sights on surprising there. "I would describe myself as a punchy stage-hunter. Tough, selective courses with a slightly easier finish suit me best, when it is preferably somewhat tactical. But I mainly focus on that first half".

"For the second part we have Richie [Carapaz], who simply has a better chance in the mountains than I do. Hopefully I can take a stage win before that," he concluded.