"I would much rather be off the front than in the group with Tadej" - Neilson Powless understands winning Tour stage from peloton is mission impossible
Cycling
Neilson Powless has relentlessly pursued Tour de France success, and this summer he’s determined to race in trademark aggressive style in his quest for a stage victory. A knee injury from this spring wasn't enough to stop the American from dreaming of Grande Boucle.
"Winning a stage at the Tour would be my biggest goal, and supporting Richie in his ambitions in the GC, that would be two pretty big goals," Powless told Velo. "For everyone going to the Tour, that would be the two big goals they would have."
"It will be the same as every year. We have to try to make our own opportunities, and race aggressively," Powless admitted. "We cannot sit on the wheel of Tadej or Jonas and hope for results. We have to race aggressively and try more unconventional ways to win bike races. It can be exciting to watch."
"I’m healthy and enjoying bike racing. I feel like I recovered well, and I’ve been performing well in the races I’ve done so far," he said at the Dauphiné. "I would much rather be off the front than in the group with Tadej. It definitely takes a lot out of you because you have to push a lot more wind yourself, but you get to be at the front of the race, and there’s a lot higher chance it could pay off."
"I feel like I missed out on a lot of racing and on a lot of opportunities," he said. "I came into the season feeling super strong, I made a lot of progress getting fitter, getting stronger, and I was hoping to show that. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to. Now I am just trying to make up for lost time."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- for what?frieders311-11-2026
- Blah blah blah!frieders311-11-2026
- Where Merckx just rode every single race he could and won all the time, Hinault won less often (percentage wise) because he was more judicious in what he raced. His palmares are nuts. He had amazing rivals, one to start his career and another to end it in the grand tours. His classics were solid. What sets him apart from Merckx and Pogačar are that he basically dabbled in the classics while the other two love(d) them. I used to compare Pogačar to Hinault for his grand tour record and occasional classics win, until I realized that the comparison was wrong. Pogačar loves the classics - ah, the memory of his reaction to finishing fourth in a 2 person sprint in Flanders in ‘22: utter domination in any one day race since then, even when he doesn’t win. Hinault lived for the grand tours and I don’t think anyone else will ever reach his record. 10 wins in 13 attempts? Good lord. An amazing rider. Wish there was more footage to watch.RidesHills11-11-2026
- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
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