‘This spring will be a recovery period for me’ – American star Neilson Powless to miss Classics after knee surgery

by February 25, 2026

written by February 25, 2026

Neilson Powless is to miss the Classics season after being forced to have surgery on his left knee after persistent pain, his team announced on Wednesday.

The American EF Education-EasyPost rider made his season debut at the Tour de la Provence earlier in February, but has now been forced off his bike.

“It is extremely disappointing to be missing out on the Classics. 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. This spring will be a recovery period for me. I’ll be able to watch my teammates on TV and spend extra time with my family, and hopefully bring some extra motivation and energy for the second half of the season.

Powless had previously been set to race a number of one-day races this spring, including the E3 Saxo Classic, Dwars Door Vlaanderen, Paris-Roubaix, the Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

“Over the course of the last two months, I had three scans of my knee and the first two showed really promising recovery,” Powless continued. “After the second one, I was able to return to training pain-free, which was promising. I was even feeling strong enough to go to a race and start my preparations for the season, but on the third day of the race, I felt pain again and had to stop. I had another scan done, and it showed that the inflammation had never fully gone away, even though I couldn’t feel it.

“Surgery was going to give me the highest chance of success, so we opted for surgery. It’s my first surgery ever, but I was in good hands with the doctors here. Together, with the medical staff from the team, we were always making decisions together, and everyone’s on the same page about recovery and where to go from here.”

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‘This spring will be a recovery period for me’ – American star Neilson Powless to miss Classics after knee surgery

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