"You’re not going to be able to break his legs" - Neilson Powless outlines USA's plan to pressure Tadej Pogacar in World Championship road race

Next Sunday in Zürich, the men's elite road race takes place in arguably the most hotly anticipated fight for a Rainbow Jersey at the 2024 World Championships. Pre-race favourite is Tadej Pogacar, but for the USA and Neilson Powless, he's not seen as an unbeatable force. 

"I feel like having sat out most of the spring I’ve got a lot of mental pent up energy for next year," Powless tells Cycling Weekly. "I’ve been really racking my brain about how to get to the next level physically so that I can create more opportunities for myself. I think it will start just with dialling in the camps a bit more, maybe adding in one or two more altitude camps in the season, and then maybe a little more heat training as I think that’s definitely something that can be used."

Last year in Glasgow, the American finished just outside the top 10 in 11th, but a 5th placed finish from the 2021 World Championships shows him as a potential dark horse. Powless is also confident he's better than ever before. "I just keep tracking out how to make improvements as like we’re seeing, the whole peloton is just getting faster every year," he says. "But you just have to keep up with that pace. If you fall behind then you start to feel it."

Alongside the likes of Matteo Jorgenson, Brandon McNulty, Magnus Sheffield, Quinn Simmons, Kevin Vermaerke, Riley Sheehan and national champion Sean Quinn, the USA also send a strong team. As mentioned though, they still have the Pogacar problem to overcome. "The only way I think you can really beat him in the final is with numbers and forcing him to chase," Powless previews. "Or you just use a moment of hesitation. You’re not going to be able to break his legs, so you just have to use any good moment you get. It’s definitely really tricky, but hopefully we can use our guys to pull a gap out somewhere if one appears."