Neilson Powless extends with EF Education-EasyPost through to 2027

American targetting one-day success in next four years with team

15:02, Thursday 26th October 2023

Logan Jones-Wilkins

Junior Writer - North America

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Neilson Powless spent several days in the polka dot jersey at the Tour de France this year

Neilson Powless and EF Education-EasyPost have agreed to a contract extension through through to the end of 2027, the team have confirmed today, prolonging the American's already four-year tenure with the squad.

While a somewhat rare move for EF, who do not always specify how long contracts run for, it marks a substantial commitment to the American who has been one of their biggest names since he signed up in 2020. His new four-year deal will be the longest agreement on the team’s books.

“It is a pretty awesome feeling,” Powless said. “I joined the team in 2020 and have just grown so much here and developed so much as a rider and a person. Every year, I have been getting better with this team and its support and structure. It was pretty clear that this place felt like the best place for me to succeed and continue to grow.”

After moving from Jumbo-Visma where he began his WorldTour career, Powless’ showed his class in the more flexible team atmosphere of the EF Education team structure. A win at the Donostia San Sebastian Klasikoa, a podium at Dwars door Vlaanderen and fifth place at the Tour of Flanders, plus a stellar run in the King of the Mountains jersey during this year’s Tour de France, have followed. Those results have distinguished Powless as one of the top riders in the peloton over challenging terrain and long days of racing.

That has, in addition to his affable nature, made him a consummate EF rider, according to the team.

“Neilson has a very strong sense of team—of family,” Jonathan Vaughters, EF Education-EasyPost CEO, said. “He brings his best to every day he races. He never shows up unprepared. He always wants to do the best he can for his team. That’s an example his teammates should look to for direction and exactly why I’m happy to sign him up for the coming years.”

With Powless’ long term future secured, the question now becomes how should the team use the multi-dimensional rider. With the last couple of years as a guide, it seems like the answer might be Flanders in springtime

“It feels like I am getting physically stronger, but I am also just learning new ways to race and learning about different types of races that I can be competitive in and just being on a self-discovery path like that at this level is really exciting,” he said. “This year was a really big eye opener for me in terms of being able to go after wins in the Spring Classics.

“Those were races that I didn’t really think I was going to be able to be a part of, but I just think it was awesome that I was in a team that was willing to take a chance on it and give it a try.”

With the success he found during that experiment, the Spring Classics will be more central in his program for the years to come.

“I would like to win a cobbled Classic,” he said. “I would like to win a Monument and keep going after World Championships every year.

“Obviously, there is the Tour de France. You always want to show up to the Tour with the best form you can to race the best guys in the world when they are at their peak fitness, but the cobbled classics and the Monuments are special races in their own right. It feels like I am knocking at the door of one of those races, so I hope I can nail one next year.”