‘Race like my family’s life depends on it’ – Neilson Powless hunts Tour de France stage win with new perspective as a father

Few good things come from a professional sportsperson not being able to do the very sport which brings them both a salary and fulfilment of a burning competitive desire. As was the case for Neilson Powless throughout the first half of the season, after a series of crashes and recurring knee pain kept him out of the Classics. 

“It sucked” is how simply the American summed up the frustrating period to Cyclingnews, after missing out on Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders one year on from reaching career-highs of seventh and fifth respectively in the first two Monuments of the season.