After cresting the Passo della Colma with an elite group, the American rode away on the slopes of the Cremosina and time trialed to the end of the 118-year-old classic, which has been raced over the foothills of the Italian Alps since 1906.

At the finish in Borgomanero, Neilson raised his arms and saluted the Italian fans, who cheered on the first American winner of their race ever. This one means the world to him.

“There aren’t many feelings in the world that can compare to this one,” Neilson said before the podium ceremony. “Every cyclist works so hard all year to hopefully put it together on a day that it matters, and I’m just so happy that I could put it together today. The spring didn’t go so smoothly for me, but my family just stuck with me and supported me all the while through all the rehabilitation I needed to do and with all the long hours training and camps and time away at races. It’s just incredible what my family does for me to chase my dream. Today, it feels like it’s paying off.”

Neilson made his decision to attack from so far out in the moment. After 135 kilometers of racing on wet, mountainous roads through the woods of Piedmont, he knew the peloton was tired. He sensed a moment of hesitation, his rivals looked at each other, and Neilson went for a flier. For the next 43 kilometers, his advantage hovered around 30 seconds. The group behind chased hard and had him in sight. With six kilometers to go, they had brought him back to just over ten seconds. But today Neilson had super legs. He tucked in his elbows, crouched his back flat and made his attack stick.

“I was just racing on instinct all the way from the long climb with 60 k to go,” Neilson said. “It was getting really tactical, because there were 20 riders at the bottom of the descent, so riders started attacking and no one was working. We had two in there, so we had to try something. I asked Georg to follow a move, and then I countered, and it was the move that stuck. I wasn’t sure what the time gaps were so I just kept looking back to gauge who was chasing and where I was, but in the end I just gave my best effort and I rode as hard as I could. Right now, I just feel so incredibly happy and thankful.”

On Saturday, Neilson and his EF Education-EasyPost teammates will try to pull off the same stunt at the final monument of the year. This victory bodes very well for Il Lombardia.

“I wasn’t expecting to do over 40 kilometers solo today, so I hope I can recover in time!” Neilson said.

Enjoy this one first, Neilson. You've got super legs. Congratulations!!