Powless will miss Classics after knee surgery

Neilson Powless provided one of the most memorable wins of the 2025 road season last Spring when he managed to outsprint a trio of Visma-Lease a Bike riders – including 2022 Tour de France green jersey winner Wout van Aert – to take victory at the Dwars door Vlaanderen. Going ‘out-of-body’ to beat Wout van Aert: Ten questions with Neilson PowlessThe American tells Escape about his evolution as a pro, his appreciation for a good hotel, the one(s) that got away, that incredible Dwars win, and more.Escape CollectiveDane Cash But the EF Education-EasyPost rider won't get a chance to defend his title. The 29-year-old American, who refashioned himself from a stage racer to a one-day rider, had knee surgery on Monday and will be out of competition for 8-12 weeks, his team said. Powless struggled with knee pain in the offseason, and had to drop out of the Tour de la Provence in mid-February. "I was excited to try some new races this year. I had a plan of races I wanted to target and do well in, so this is a big disappointment," Powless said in a release from his team announcing the news. The team did not say what was the cause or what specific surgery was done, other than to remove the inflamed tissue.