Neilson Powless, fifth place at the UCI Road World Championships in Flanders last season, was due to lead his country’s charge in the elite men’s road race in Wollongong, Australia this month. However, he revealed to Cyclingnews he may skip the race and focus instead on the late-season races in Europe before closing out the year at the Japan Cup.
“I’m not sure if I’m going to Worlds – I’m still on the fence,” Powless told Cyclingnews before the start of the Maryland Cycling Classic. “I was selected for the team, and we’re still trying to keep things in order for me to go to Worlds straight from Canada. But I would say it’s 50-50 if I go or not.”
There have been a slew of high-profile withdrawals from the Worlds roster, with Alejandro Valverde among those not going. The Spaniard is key to keeping Movistar’s WorldTour hopes alive as they struggle in the 2020-2022 team rankings. Currently 18th, they could face relegation to the Pro Continental level if they drop behind Lotto Soudal.
Other recent withdrawals include Tom Pidcock, who withdrew citing fatigue, while 2019 Junior World Champion Quinn Simmons also opted out of the USA team. Caleb Ewan will miss the race to keep Lotto Soudal on its upward trajectory, and Ireland aren’t even sending a team citing financial concerns.
Powless said the decision to go or not is his. “It’s up to me to decide, OK, do I feel my resources would be better, but towards towards racing in Europe straight after Quebec and Montreal? Or do I think I really have a shot at a top five or podium at Worlds. And it’s a hard one to say, especially with the the field changing so much with a lot of guys pulling out. That’ll definitely change the the way the race is raced.”
On the negative side is a long season and only one week at home in Nice in the last two and a half months.
“I’m finishing my season in Japan. So it’s also just gonna be a lot of travel to get to Australia. It’d be nice to get some home time instead of going straight to Australia for another month. And then I would fly straight to Italy [for Il Lombardia]. So I basically just wouldn’t be home for like six months.”
If he doesn’t go to Wollongong, Powless plans to tackle the series of one-day races in Italy around Il Lombardia before heading to Japan.
“They suit me really well. And I love those races. So really eager to get there and race. But I’m also thinking about maybe trying to sneak in some time at home before I go there just to reset and unpack my suitcase.”
Along with the…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at CyclingNews RSS Feed…