Neilson Powless on Wout van Aert: "Every year, he has bad luck, but he always manages to return to the highest level"
Cycling
Neilson Powless struck an historic victory last afternoon at Dwars door Vlaanderen, outsprinting Wout van Aert who was Team Visma | Lease a Bike's bet for victory in the finale. The EF Education-EasyPost rider talked about how he has a relationship with all of the Visma riders he beat, and in more detail described what was the highlight of his career.
"I spent 50 kilometers talking to the men in the car about whether I should help or not. Tiesj [Benoot] and Matteo [Jorgenson] also spoke to me because we had to help them get ahead," Powless said in a press conference following the race, as reported by In de Leiderstrui. Now after the rush of a shocking win, the 28-year detailed better what really happened in that final hour of racing. "Of course, we were in a good group, but it was also intimidating for me to be riding against three men from the same team.
"What worked in my favor was that we never had more than a one-minute lead. That way, we could keep up a high pace, and there was little playing around," he said. But he never expected for Visma to fully commit to a conservative strategy. "Although every time I took the lead, I couldn't wait to let myself fall back again. It hurt a lot, so it went fast. The headwind also made it hard."
In the finale a sprint made a podium likely, but even in this scenario (made to favour a van Aert win) an American win wasn't expected. "I thought I could come in second, but victory still felt too ambitious. I mainly tried to avoid getting boxed in because I could come in second. I had something special, I think," he adds. "I was feeling excellent. I haven't often experienced such situations, so I didn't know what to expect. But now, I can safely assume I could still sprint to victory."
He obviously dealt a killer blow to the 'bees', but certainly it won't be something that will destroy his relationship with the riders he worked together with. "I am quite good friends with Tiesj's brother because he also lives in Nice. He sent me a message to wish me luck for the race. Matteo, on the other hand, lives a hundred meters down the road from me," he shares. "And I was a teammate of Wout, who I have always admired. And I still do because he has already achieved so much."
On the Belgian whom he beat, Powless has nothing but admiration, specially after such a close battle with him. "Every year, he has bad luck, but he always manages to return to the highest level. That is so impressive. It felt special to be on the road with those men, even though they are opponents."
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OH MY GOD NEILSON POWLESS PULLS OF THE IAN STANNARD SPECIAL!!!!! AMAZING 🔥🔥🔥🔥 #DDV25 pic.twitter.com/yDdVHgy0RX
— Eemeli (@LosBrolin) April 2, 2025
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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