The quest for Classics glory restarts for Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) this week, as the US rider returns to full training and said he is ‘pain-free’ since withdrawing 10 days ago from stage 6 at Tirreno-Adriatico.
It was only one month ago that the 27-year-old embarked on his 2024 campaign with an emphasis on the Spring Classics, circling Milan-San Remo on the calendar as a target to move onto the podium from seventh last year. Once La Primavera arrived, the start list for EF Education-EasyPost did not include their rising Classics star, as he watched on television as teammate Alberto Bettiol battled in the closing sprint finish, only to finish two spots off the podium behind winner Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck).
“It was definitely hard to just watch Milano-Sanremo. I was screaming for Bettiol, and, at the same time, I just wanted to be there so badly. But I know we’ve made the right decision with me not racing there,” he said in a team statement about missing the first Monument of the season.
“Normally, this would probably be the most intense training and racing period of the year apart from the Tour de France. It’s quite a few hands on deck at the team to get me healthy, and that’s made me feel like I’ve been getting well looked after. I have a lot of good people taking care of me and looking out for me, so I’m confident we’ve been making the right calls so far.”
His fifth season with EF Education has been bumpy so far, with DNFs at two stage races and a crash with an unfruitful chase that resulted in 86th at Strade Bianche. His most recent spill came on the penultimate day of racing at Tirreno-Adriatico, when he left stage 6 due to pain around his right knee. He rested for several days and then resumed light training with workouts targeting his lower back, hips and feet.
“The pain came on quite aggressively. He had something similar in his left knee last year, which is why he was so mindful about leaving the race because he didn’t want to aggravate it,” said Matt Rabin, the team’s chiropractor and head of athlete care.
“We expect he will resume his normal training on Tuesday [March 19]. He’s on the right path.”
In a team statement, Powless’ pain stemmed from a combination of factors and not a single crash. On the early part of a cold, rainy stage 4 at O Gran Camiño, the 27-year-old US…
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