Neilson Powless ahead of Amstel Gold Race: "We just need the numbers in the final. That's the only way to beat Tadej"

Neilson Powless has been on an absolute roll this year, one of the best scoring riders this year in terms of UCI points, and for good reason as he's been consistently performing in both stage-races and one-day races.

“After Flanders I was a bit sick for a few days, but last week I felt pretty good again. I hope the form is still there. I am already very motivated to show something here," Powless said in a pre-race interview. The American starts as an outsider for the Dutch race, however part of a very strong EF Education-EasyPost which features several dangerous riders including Ben Healy and Mikkel Honoré.

Powless started off his season with a bang winning the GP La Marseillaise, and has then also won the Etoile de Bessèges. He also finished third at the Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var before moving into World Tour races where he found even better form, riding into sixth at Paris-Nice, seventh at Milano-Sanremo, third at Dwars door Vlaanderen and fifth at the Tour des Flanders. An incredible versatility which has not gone unnoticed.

Into Amstel then, a victory is possible. How? “We just need the numbers in the final. That's the only way to beat Tadej," the American responds. "We need several riders that he then has to chase. Hopefully we can be at the front with two or three riders at the end. That is difficult, because it is a technical course. But we have the strength to do it. If everyone positions themselves well, then we should be able to sit with a few riders.”

The short and multiple efforts will suit Powless who has ridden brilliantly over the lengthy classics over the past few weeks. However the first of the Ardennes classics is much more than just having the power on the climb, he acknowledges: “You always have the chance here that you are behind a crash, but that makes racing more exciting."

"When a lot happens, you always have to be alert. It's going to be focused for six hours. Don't fall, don't sit behind echelons. Especially since it rains a little. The roads are a bit wet, so that makes it even more technical. But I like such races. You can always have some bad luck, but that's part of cycling. You just have to be well in front to limit that breakdown," he concluded.