Powless: the courage to dare and win
The grit of Tadej Pogačar, Remco Evenepoel and Mathieu Van der Poel may have faded the romance of long-distance attacks and solitary escapes we were used to a few years ago. However, Neilson Powless’ performance today at GranPiemonte 2024 cannot be labelled ordinary or something we usually see on races, especially when it comes from a rider not among the aforementioned favourites.
Over 40 kilometres in the wind, alone and with 40 riders behind chasing him at full speed, that’s quite an achievement. This morning, the American rider from EF Education-EasyPost had announced “an aggressive race”, predicting that the sprinters’ teams would fiercely attempt to catch up with riders attacking on the Passo della Colma and on the following more manageable uphill sections. He was right, not least because he was the one who made the race aggressive, adapting to early moves on the longest climb and then launching his solo fight towards Cremosina.
Indeed, the teams of the fastest riders started their pursuit of the runaways, yet Powless put all his energy in the quest, pushing hard on the flat sections and managing his effort on the climbs. So he arrived in Borgomanero with enough time to realise he had won and enjoy those moments of happiness that a “regular” rider rarely experiences. It doesn’t mean that Neilson isn’t competitive; he is a talent indeed, and did win a WorldTour classic such as the Klasika San Sebastian. Yet his emotion and words seal the hard work and sacrifice behind the victory of a strong and gritty cyclist.
“There aren’t many feelings in the world I can compare to this one. Every cyclist, we work so hard all year with the hope to put everything together on a day like this” he said, struggling to hold back tears. Winning just a week before the end of the season, just days before the well deserved holidays, feels surely special, whether you are a star like Pogačar or a gritty professional like Powless. And by the way, he is the first American ever to win il GranPiemonte, a record that will stay with him forever.
