Neilson Powless is aiming for a Tour of Flanders victory next month and says being a "complete cyclist" can help him achieve his main ambitions of the spring.
The American's best result at the cobbled Monument was fifth in 2023, but he believes the addition of former winner Kasper Asgreen to his team will put him in an even better position this time round to improve on that result.
In an interview released by EF Education-EasyPost, Powless says that he believes he has all of the characteristics needed to pull off a surprise victory in April.
"Flanders is a race that demands a complete cyclist," he said. "That is the best way I could describe myself. I'm not the best climber and I'm not the best sprinter and I am not the best time trialist, but I'm pretty good at all of them, so I feel like I'm very complete. That is a blessing and a curse, but at Flanders, I think it is a blessing."
Asgreen and the American are likely to both share EF leadership when the Tour of Flanders gets underway. Powless said that bringing the Dane into the team has significantly strengthened their chances of successfully going toe to toe with some of the bigger classics teams in the weeks ahead.
"Our ambition is to win," Powless added. "Having a few cards to play is really key to success in that race. I mean, I'd love to win, but if there are two of us up there, it's even better. That means two chances for the team to get a win."
Powless suffered with a bout of pneumonia that kept him side lined at the start of the season but returned to finish sixth overall at the Volta ao Algarve. The 28-year-old Florida native is due to ride Paris-Nice before turning his attention to the likes of Milan-San Remo, Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Tour of Flanders itself.
"I'm really excited for Paris-Nice," he said. "I just hope that I have the legs I want so that I can be at the front of that race, because it is a fun one to race from the front. I'd like to fight for the podium. If I have the legs that I had in the TT on the last day in Portugal, I'm pretty sure I can be competitive on GC and go for the win on one of the stages."
Powless is based in the Nice area, something he hopes will help him in his attempt to finish high on the general classification.
"It is an intense race and that last stage is especially intense," he added "but it gives me a lot of confidence to know what's around every corner, which corners you need to be in position for and for which corners it's fine to relax. I know every climb down there and I am really excited for it."
