“I think it's made me a better cyclist in general" - Neilson Powless returns to Tour de France with added impetus after becoming a father

Neilson Powless was very visible at the 2023 Tour de France, wearing the polka-dot jersey for a total of twelve days. Although he couldn't hold the lead of the King of the Mountains classification last year, this time around the American has a similar goal and extra fuel for the fire.

In the twelve months between the two Tours, Powless has become a father for the first time. As such, the 27-year-old now has some extra impetus and some added inspiration. “Honestly, I feel like I've ended up with a pretty healthy life balance now, where I can kind of check out of the cycling world a bit and just focus on the day-to-day processes that I have to go through,” Powless says in conversation with Cycling News. “Because I think especially with wife and daughter at home now, it kind of keeps everything a bit more under perspective. I can just execute the tasks I need to do each day and then keep my focus on the family."

Never more so was the importance of family more evident for Powless than during a nightmare opening to 2024, when injury consistently ruing his plans for the spring. "That helped a lot," he admits. “I was pretty lucky in that way. Cyclists don't really get, I don't think, too much time at home when they have a young baby, especially during the season, because we're always in and out or at camps or something. That was one good positive.”

With DNFs at Gran Camino, Tirreno-Adriatico and the Criterium du Dauphine this year, it's fair to say Powless doesn't come into the 2024 Tour de France in the best form. Nevertheless, the American's spirits have not been dampened, thanks in part again to the brilliant family support he has around him. “I think it's made me a better cyclist in general [being a father]. I feel I'm a lot more focused when I'm at races, basically taking every opportunity now and I'm not squandering anything these days,” says Powless. “I just know how valuable it is to perform and to get everything I can out of my career because I've got my own future, my wife's future and my daughter's future now to look out for. So I just try to keep it professional all the time, just try to take every opportunity I can and yeah, race like my family's life depends on it.”

“I'm going into the Tour with high ambitions and big goals,” added Powless, speaking to the EF Education-EasyPost team’s website. “Winning a stage is my first and foremost goal, and I think I've got the fitness to do it. It's just about getting it right on the day, just following the right moves and using my energy wisely. I think everyone on the team is eager to take their shot.”