Neilson Powless evaluates his odds of winning the Tour of Flanders: "Being a complete cyclist is a blessing and a curse, but at Flanders, I think it is a blessing"

Neilson Powless has only raced the Tour of Flanders once, but immediately fell in love with the Flemish Monument. And after his 5th place in 2022, he hopes to able to compete for the victory again next month.

"Flanders is a race that demands a complete cyclist," Powless said in a press release. "That is the best way I could describe myself. I'm not the best climber and I'm not the best sprinter and I am not the best time trialist, but I'm pretty good at all of them, so I feel like I'm very complete. That is a blessing and a curse, but at Flanders, I think it is a blessing."

The signing of Kasper Asgreen could bring a key piece into the EF Education-EasyPost puzzle, Powless reckons. With an extra leader, the victory odds of the American against the likes of Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogacar and Wout Van Aert significantly grow.

"Our ambition is to win," Powless added. "Having a few cards to play is really key to success in that race. I mean, I'd love to win, but if there are two of us up there, it's even better. That means two chances for the team to get a win."

Before taking off to Belgium, Powless has several other appointments. On Wednesday, he'll start at the Trofeo Laigueglia and from Sunday, he'll be racing the 83rd edition of Paris-Nice. While there's no confirmation, it's not improbable that the American would also appear at the start of Milano-Sanremo the following weekend. "I'm really excited for Paris-Nice," he highlights.

"I just hope that I have the legs I want so that I can be at the front of that race, because it is a fun one to race from the front. I'd like to fight for the podium. If I have the legs that I had in the TT on the last day in Portugal, I'm pretty sure I can be competitive on GC and go for the win on one of the stages."

Powless is based in the Nice area, something he hopes will help him in his attempt to finish high on the general classification. "It is an intense race and that last stage is especially intense," he added "but it gives me a lot of confidence to know what's around every corner, which corners you need to be in position for and for which corners it's fine to relax. I know every climb down there and I am really excited for it."