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

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.

"At least now we can say that the problem is solved and I can move forward with a clear path of recovery," Powless said, in a statement released by the team. The 29-year-old won Dwars door Vlaanderen in memorable circumstances last year.

"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.

"This is not something that's going to take me out for a really long time, but it's something that we will need to be cautious with. It will be a couple of months before I can plan a race, but it's nice to have a clear plan of recovery."

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."

EF Pro Cycling Head Doctor Jon Greenwell added that he expects Powless to make a full recovery and be ready to resume training in eight to twelve weeks. No date has been set on his return to racing.

"Surgery to remove the inflammatory tissue gave us a much better chance of a permanent fix," Greenwell said. "The operation went well, and after the eight- to twelve-week recovery window, Neilson will be able to return to riding with no long-term impairment from the injury."