Nys felt "better than expected" on his comeback, Powless shines ahead of Tour: "It seems to be paying off"

Nys may have been the top favorite from the group fighting for the win, but missing out didn’t dampen his spirits. “Today went much better than expected, honestly,” said the Belgian from Lidl-Trek on his team’s website. “I was just missing that final 2 or 3 percent to make the difference. I can't really complain, and I’m happy with how I felt. I think the strongest rider won today.”

Nys went into the final stretch alongside Powless, Mauro Schmid, Jan Christen, and Clément Champoussin. But controlling that group proved tough. “When your legs are good, it’s always best to go to the line with as small a group as possible, so I think I did well reacting to the attacks. It was a bit of a gamble at the end, and I just missed the winning move. My sprint was strong, but only good enough for second.”

When Powless launched his attack, Nys didn’t follow. The American from EF Education–EasyPost soloed to victory. “I was just waiting for the right moment. When it came, I reacted immediately and gave it everything,” he said in a press release. “It was on a slight downhill section, and I knew that at that speed, drafting 50 meters behind the group would work in my favor, I could let them go a few meters and slingshot myself forward. It was really old-school. I’m good at picking the right moment for this kind of flat finish after a hard day. Today, I had the legs to do it.”

It’s Powless’ second win of the season after his triumph at Dwars door Vlaanderen. Following a disappointing Tour de France last year - where he broke his wrist - he’s now aiming for a much stronger summer. “It gives me a lot of confidence. The altitude camp went perfectly. In the past, I felt tired when I returned to sea level, so this time I focused on staying fresh. That seems to be paying off, and I’m really happy about that.”

Before the Tour, he’ll race the Tour of Switzerland. “Our goal is to win multiple stages. I’ll need to see how my legs feel on the longer climbs: I’ll know on day one whether I’ve got the form for a GC push. But today showed my explosiveness and freshness are there. I’ve got the freedom to go for results, and winning a stage would be great. Today was the confirmation that my Tour prep is on the right track.”