Neilson Powless reflects on Tour of Flanders debut- "Very satisfied, now I want even more"

EF Education-EasyPost rider Neilson Powless made his debut in the Tour of Flanders in 2023. Despite it being his first time racing in this prestigious event, he managed to secure an impressive fifth-place finish.

"Very satisfied, now I want even more," he told Cycling Pro Net after the race. He continues, "Those who finished ahead of me are the best in the sport, so I'm proud of fifth place behind those riders. I have to double-check the results to be sure. I never thought I would be fighting for the top five at the Tour of Flanders, and here I am.”

Technical issues can often harm even the most celebrated monuments, and this was also the case for the American cyclist on this occasion. Furthermore, due to poor communication with his team, he was forced to depend on other riders within the peloton for updates on their current location. "I knew I felt good. I crashed twice and lost my computer, so I was only relying on what I heard on the radio because I didn't know when the climbs would come and how far to the end. I was constantly asking the radio and also the riders next to me how far it was, because sometimes I was a bit lost, but maybe it's better to ride on instinct.”

He found himself in the group of riders vying for the last podium position, with Pogacar and van der Poel already occupying the top two spots. In the final moments of the race, there was a lot of commotion, but he was able to maintain his poise and compete successfully against the other riders. "I knew I had spent a lot of energy to be at the front, but I knew I had to take risks if I wanted to try and win today. I did that right from the Molenberg, then when they caught us again, I did my best to follow them on the Kwaremont, I was put a bit out of position by the riders who were pulling ahead, but in the end, they attacked from behind so fast that the only thing I could do was to give my best,” concluded the American rider.