WAREGEM, Belgium (AP) — Outnumbered by three rivals from the same team, United States rider Neilson Powless really should not have won a four-man sprint finish in the Dwars door Vlaanderen race Wednesday.
Somehow he did.
Powless powered to the line past Wout van Aert, who was led into the sprint by his Visma-Lease A Bike teammates Tiesj Benoot and Matteo Jorgenson, trying to ensure his victory.
“I thought I was riding for second place. I can’t believe it. I’m so happy,” Powless said. “I felt really strong today but I didn’t think I had a chance to win from that group.”
The one-day race was a warm-up for Van Aert ahead of the Tour of Flanders classic, which has a stellar lineup. Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel also will start Sunday on the grueling cobbled roads.
On Wednesday, Van Aert bowed his head 20 meters (yards) from the line seeing Powless clad in the vivid pink jersey of the EF Pro Cycling team had left the yellow-clad Visma trio trailing. They were left alone soon after a decisive attack by Visma with more than 70 kilometers (45 miles) left.
It was another disappointment for the Tokyo Olympics silver medalist in Dwars door Vlaanderen, where a hard crash one year ago ended his program in the spring classics.
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