Neilson Powless pulls off “the Ian Stannard” at Dwars door Vlaanderen

Visma-Lease a Bike flexed in Wednesday’s WorldTour race Dwars door Vlaanderen, the penultimate race of Flemish Cycling Week, creating a yellow-dominant breakaway in the last third of the route, but it was another colour, EF Education-Easypost pink, that prevailed via Neilson Powless. The American beat Wout van Aert in a sprint. It was a reminiscent of Ian Stannard’s famous beating of three Quick Step riders in the 2015 Het Nieuwsblad.

Second place was a decent result for van Aert, somewhat addressing criticisms of a mediocre spring. The Belgian was 11th in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, 75th in Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne and 15th in E3 Saxo Classic.

Last Season

The 2024 edition was marred by a bad crash that injured favourites van Aert, Jasper Stuyven and Biniam Girmay. Matteo Jorgenson followed up his first Paris-Nice title with a solo victory. All four of those chaps were back for 2025. Mads Pedersen, who also crashed out last March, was coming hot off the Gent-Wevelgem win and E3 Saxo Classic runner-up.

The Course

Eleven cobbled sectors, including five of the ten climbs, were spread across the final two thirds of 184 km. The last climb, Nokere, crested 10 km from the Waregem finish line.

By the time the race reached the second climb, cobbled Berg Ten Houte, there was a breakaway octet 40 seconds up the road, with Alexander Kristoff trying to bridge. When van Aert pushed the pace on the first passage of Knokteberg-Trieu, the peloton split. The Hotondberg reunited the three groups save two Danish fugitives who kept at it.

Just before the second passage of Berg Ten Houte, there was a quintet of escapees up front. Van Aert and three other Dutch Bees attacked and bridged over.

Seven breakaways, three of them Visma-Lease a Bike, beat on not too far ahead of the 60-strong peloton containing Mads Pedersen, whose acceleration on Knokteberg-Trieu II unhitched Jasper Philipsen. When wind inspired echelons before the Mariaborrestraat cobbles, Pedersen dashed away with three others but they could not bridge. The van Aert gang was now three Visma and Neilson Powless.

And so it went as the cobbles and climbs counted down–an uneven team time trial galloping towards Waregem, 30 vrs. four. With 19 km remaining, another Mads Pedersen chase group formed in pursuit of the quartet 50 seconds up the road, but it was thwarted.

Could Powless pull off an “Ian Stannard”? Jorgenson and Tiesj Benoot pulled. In the sprint showdown Van Aert went on the left hand barrier and the American overtook him in the middle for the famous victory. Visma hung their heads.

“This is the biggest win of my life,” Powless said afterwards. “I’m fully responsible for this loss,” said van Aert.

The Ronde van Vlaanderen is Sunday.

2025 Dwars door Vlaanderen
1) Neilson Powless (USA/EF Education-Easypost) 3:57:14
2) Wout van Aert (Belgium/Visma-Lease a Bike) s.t.
3) Tiesj Benoot (Belgium/Visma-Lease a Bike) s.t.