Neilson Powless to miss Worlds; Riley Sheehan steps in as his replacement

It was just days ago that Riley Sheehan was on his way back to Europe after a block of North American racing. After a fourth-place finish at the revamped Philadelphia Cycling Classic, 25th at GP Cycliste de Québec and a 14th-place finish at GP Cycliste de Montréal, the 26-year-old Coloradan left happy.

The Canadian races had been his favourite races all year, he wrote on Instagram, adding: "Really had a good time ripping it around the two cities and suffering all the way to the line. Looking forward to coming back already."

Well, he got his wish sooner than expected.

Latest Videos FromCycling Weekly

Watch full video here:

Sheehan received a last-minute call-up after Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) withdrew with illness, USA Cycling confirmed to Cycling Weekly on Friday.

"Neilson has withdrawn due to illness, so the spot goes to Riley Sheehan, the first reserve named during the selection process," USA Cycling stated.

The withdrawal is yet another setback in a difficult year for Powless, who missed most of the season’s racing due to knee surgery. He returned to racing at July’s Tour of Austria, and claimed a promising win on stage three.

Sheehan, meanwhile, has built a strong case for selection. The NSN rider won May’s Circuit de Wallonie, his first victory since his breakthrough at Paris-Tours in 2023. He then added another win in August’s Czech Tour. And his recent North American results show his carrying great form into the World Championships.

His initial omission from Team USA’s roster did not pass quietly. In a since-deleted post on X, Sheehan questioned the selectors’ decision to leave out riders who had been winning races. He then told our sister site, Cyclingnews, that he was disappointed and confused as he believed he "could have been a really vital asset" to the American team.

Now he’ll get to prove his worth after all, in joining a very strong American team in Canada.

In Montréal, Team USA will be led by Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), the 2019 junior road world champion, who’s coming off a very strong second half of the season. He claimed his third U.S. national road race title in June and was again awarded the Best Teammate award at the Tour de France, in which he finished in 18th place. During the block of North American racing, he finished 9th at the Philadelphia Cycling Classic, fifth at the GP Cycliste de Québec and in fourth place at GP Cycliste de Montréal.

Team USA has a potential second leader in Brandon McNulty (UAE Emirates XRG), who’s historically done well at the GP de Montréal races, taking the win last year and finishing third just last week.

Completing the eight-man roster are Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike), Kevin Vermaerke (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Sean Quinn (EF Education-EasyPost), Artem Shmidt (Netcompany INEOS) and Larry Warbasse (Tudor Pro Cycling).

The elite men’s road race takes place on Sunday, September 27, covering approximately 273 kilometres. Starting in Brossard, the route heads towards Montréal before tackling 12 laps of the 13.4-kilometre Mount Royal circuit, with more than 3,700 metres of climbing across the day.

Explore More

Cycling Weekly's North American Editor, Anne-Marije Rook is old school. She holds a degree in journalism and started out as a newspaper reporter — in print! She can even be seen bringing a pen and notepad to the press conference.

Originally from the Netherlands, she grew up a bike commuter and didn't find bike racing until her early twenties when living in Seattle, Washington. Strengthened by the many miles spent darting around Seattle's hilly streets on a steel single speed, Rook's progression in the sport was a quick one. As she competed at the elite level, her journalism career followed, and soon, she became a full-time cycling journalist. She's now been a journalist for two decades, including 14 years in cycling.