Powless enjoys talking to Van Aert, but: “We avoid the subject of Waregem”

Inflamed tissue in his knee caused problems earlier this season, and that had to be removed in February. At the time, Powless said it was a huge disappointment to miss the Classics after building a race programme in which he hoped to perform well. That means there will be no title defence in Dwars door Vlaanderen for the American.

Speaking to Het Nieuwsblad. Powless explained where things stand now: “Today I’m allowed to ride outside for an hour for the first time. My rehabilitation is going slower than expected and that frustrates me.” Still, he says there is progress. “There is still some scar tissue. Luckily, the pain is gone, and that is the main thing.”

It is still unclear when Powless will return to racing, but there is plenty of time to revisit the 2025 edition of Dwars door Vlaanderen. Very few people saw that strange finale coming, and the American himself certainly did not. “I really never thought I would beat Wout in the sprint. Only with 50 metres to go did it start to dawn on me that I was going to win.”

How did he do it? “By producing the sprint of my life,” Powless said matter-of-factly. That effort required some serious numbers. “Twenty seconds at more than 1,000 watts — for a non-sprinter, that’s not bad at all,” he added with a smile. And that despite the fact that, by his own admission, he would already have been happy with second place.

Even so, the EF rider felt there may have been more in it than he first realised. “I did have the impression that Wout was nervous, but I still couldn’t believe I had beaten him.” What followed was pure disbelief. “It’s hard to describe what I felt. First disbelief, then pure joy in the knowledge that I had fulfilled a childhood dream.”

Where there are winners, there are losers too, and Powless admitted he also felt for Van Aert. The two know each other from their shared time at Jumbo-Visma. “I felt bad for him. I really did. I knew how badly he wanted that victory — and needed it as well. Wout knocks on the door so often, but it rarely opens for him.”

The American quickly put that feeling into perspective, though. “I soon realised that Wout has already achieved so many top results in his career. My sympathy passed pretty quickly,” Powless laughed. “We used to be teammates at Jumbo, and I have enormous respect for him.”

“Yes, I enjoy talking to Wout, but mostly about our children,” Powless continued. “About how to combine fatherhood with life as a professional cyclist. The subject of Waregem is avoided. For me it’s a beautiful memory, for him it’s something he wants to forget. And I understand that.”