"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

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."