"I wish I had Tadej Pogacar's legs for just one day" – Neilson Powless in awe of Tour de France champion but stresses peloton shouldn't give up hope
Cycling
Neilson Powless has offered a strikingly honest reflection on the state of the sport — and on Tadej Pogacar in particular — in comments made during an end-of-year interview with Wieler Revue.
Speaking about everything from dominance at the top to his own breakthrough victories, the American admitted he would “wish to have Pogacar’s legs for just one day”.
Powless admitted that lining up against the four-time Tour de France winner is both a privilege and, at times, a painfully humbling experience.
“I would place myself above the WorldTour average, but I wish that I had his legs for just one day,” he said. “I hope he doesn’t take those good legs for granted.”
Racing against Pogacar: ‘Sometimes it feels discouraging’
Powless was candid about the psychological challenge of competing against riders and teams operating at a higher gear.
“In races it can sometimes feel quite discouraging when you see certain teams being so dominant and you think: what can I even do here? Every team puts everything into trying to win, but when only a few actually manage it, that can be difficult for the long-term sustainability of our sport.”
His comments echo moments earlier in the season, when team-mate Ben Healy jokingly asked Pogacar when he planned to retire — a light-hearted question carrying a hint of exasperation. Powless understands the sentiment. Yet he argues that dominance doesn’t make cycling predictable. Far from it.
‘A small chance is still a chance’: why the peloton shouldn’t give up
This spring, Powless produced one of the standout victories of the year, outfoxing three riders from Team Visma | Lease a Bike to win Dwars door Vlaanderen — a reminder of what remains possible even when racing looks lopsided on paper.
“My win at Dwars door Vlaanderen, and Mattias Skjelmose winning the Amstel Gold Race, were reminders of the unpredictability of our sport. Those wins were encouraging for the entire peloton,” Powless said. “In the spring I didn’t think I would win a Classics race, but I still managed it. Even if the absolute top favourites are there, anything can happen. A small chance is still a chance.”
Calling Pogacar the GOAT — and dreaming of beating him
Despite recognising the imbalance Pogacar creates, Powless spoke with total respect — even awe — for the Slovenian superstar at UAE Team Emirates - XRG. “I would love to see him become the absolute GOAT. If he keeps going for a few more years, he will definitely get there,” he said.
And then came the dream — half-ambition, half-fantasy, entirely sincere. “It would be a privilege to stand on a podium with him one day. And who knows, maybe even beat him. My win at Dwars door Vlaanderen has given me that belief.”
For Powless, Pogacar is simultaneously an obstacle, an inspiration and the ultimate benchmark. And for a rider who proved in 2025 that even long odds can fall his way, the idea of one day toppling cycling’s most complete talent doesn’t feel quite as far-fetched as it once did.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin is wuite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
- Who cares what Bruyneel thinks. He and his best mate Lance, the biggest fraud in the history of sport, have no place commenting on anything but how to lie and cheat!whit2pet02-11-2026
- Eeesh!Lozza02-11-2026
- bravo! a rider likes jonas needs motivation and he needs to believe in being able to reach goals. he - like anybody else in the world - doesn't believe that he can win the tdf with pogi present. and what's it worth for when pogi is not there? second class victory only. he has checked all three grand tours, so what is left if not retire? the classics! go for it, jonas!Ketterechts02-11-2026
- i am sure that under the pretext of medical examination a lot worse has happened when they were under.abstractengineer02-11-2026
- dude, Lemond never even was in the same race as Armstrong. He throws all these aspersions on other American riders who might usurp his throne as the greatest ever American racer. He doesn't say a single thing about (foreign) dopers who he actually raced against. Biggest douchebag move ever. I used to revere that guy, now I despise him. His actions are so weird.fatsupermodel02-11-2026
- This is just stupid, You do what you are good at not what you are weak at. He has no results to speak of when he participated. Even Froome, Conatdor had very little. With Pogi there he wont win none of the classics. he is already 30+ with a few years left at the top. It takes years to get good at classics. Is that really worth the effort???abstractengineer02-11-2026
- Sure, little fella.awp02-11-2026
- You'll be the ongoing joke of 2027 with anything you post here!frieders302-11-2026
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