Few riders in the current peloton will likely have had such a rollercoaster off-season as Neilson Powless this winter. But despite still feeling the consequences of catching pneumonia barely a month back, the EF Education-EasyPost racer now says he's convinced that, with form and condition, he's finally heading in the right direction.
For fans watching Powless at the Volta ao Algarve, 10th at the Alto do Foía finish on Thursday after making it across to the winning breakaway at the foot of the final climb felt like a surefire sign that he was on the comeback trail. But from the American's own point of view, it was not quite as simple as that.
