Racing

Racing the inaugural Maryland Cycling Classic

‘It’s really special that we can race in America this year’

September 1, 2022

EF Education-EasyPost kits up to race in Baltimore this Sunday at the inaugural Maryland Cycling Classic.

The team always appreciates racing in the United States and the Maryland Cycling Classic is no exception. The race is highly anticipated, not only because it was twice postponed due to covid. Recent years have seen the disappearance of most UCI races in the US, making the Maryland Cycling Classic a rare opportunity to showcase our sport domestically. For the future and sustainability of American cycling, it’s important to develop new races. Though the race itself is just one day, it is part of a cycling festival in Baltimore, Maryland held over the duration of Labor Day weekend.

“We’re thrilled to be back racing on US soil. It’s a technical and demanding course, and we are bringing a strong squad to contend for victory,” says sports director Tejay van Garderen.

The 120-mile (194-kilometer) course starts in Sparks, Maryland and heads north before turning southward just shy of the Pennsylvania border. The race finishes with four laps in downtown Baltimore, culminating in a sprint to the finish in front of the city’s scenic harbor.

Not only is Neilson Powless eager to return to racing after a break from racing since his performance at the Tour de France, he’s also looking forward to being a tourist.

“I’m really excited to head to Maryland,” he says. “I’ve never been to Baltimore, so it’ll be a new experience for me. I really like the east coast and I’m really excited to see what it has to offer and to explore the area.”

After a season of racing in Europe, Neilson is eager to pin on a number in the United States.

“It’s really special that we can race in America this year,” he says. “I didn’t get to race nationals because of the timing with the Tour de France so I’m really excited to race in America for my first time this year and I’m really happy that it’s in a new place. I’m looking forward to the inaugural edition of the Maryland Cycling Classic and I think we have a really strong team. Hopefully we can put on a good show for the fans in Baltimore.”

Maryland Cycling Classic roster
// Simon Carr
// Magnus Cort
// Jens Keukeleire
// Andrea Piccolo
// Neilson Powless
// Tom Scully
// Felix Stehli, stagiaire from the development team

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Maryland Cycling Classic
Sep. 04, 2022
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Neilson Powless

When Neilson Powless started racing X-Terra triathlons with his sister back home in Northern California, he just wanted to spend time outside and rip around the trails near his house. His first love was mountain-biking. It was his best discipline in those off-road triathlons, and when he got to high-school, there were all sorts of chances for him to compete in California’s mountain-bike league. Soon, he was travelling with the US national team, racing junior world cups and championships against the world’s most talented mountain-bikers. Race in and race out, Neilson proved he was one of them.

Then he decided he wanted to have a go on the road.

Neilson has progressed steadily since he turned pro in 2018, thanks to his hard-work and diligent approach to training. In 2020, Neilson Powless became the first tribally recognized Native North American to race the Tour de France. The next year, our rising American star won Spain’s greatest one-day race, the Clásica San Sebastián, and finished fifth at the world championships in Belgium. Neilson was stellar in 2022. After a strong campaign in the Ardennes, he finished fourth on GC at the Tour de Suisse and lit up the Tour de France. He finished the year off with a victory at the Japan Cup.

The 2023 season was his best yet. Neilson won his first race of the year: the Grand Prix Cycliste de Marseille. He then won the overall at Étoile de Bèsseges and stormed the Flemish classics, finishing third at Dwars door Vlaanderen and fifth at De Ronde in his debut campaign on the cobbles. At the Tour, he captured hearts with a stellar run in the King of the Mountains jersey.

Neilson lives in Nice, France with his wife and baby girl during the racing season. He enjoys exploring their new city and relaxing on the beach after hard rides through the Alps.

If he can find time in his schedule, Neilson would like to get back to his roots, and do some off-road alternative racing in 2024.

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Andrea Piccolo

Andrea Piccolo is one of the most exciting prospects of his generation. He has been turning heads with his daring, attacking style for a few years. Ever since his third place finish at the world junior time trial in 2018, when he was just 17, the young Italian rider has earned strong results both in time trials and road races at all levels.

In 2019, he won the junior individual time trials at both the European continental championships and the Italian national championships, before finishing in the top three in both road races as well. Over the next two years, he accumulated more top results in stages races, one day races, and international events.

In August of 2022, he signed with EF Education-EasyPost and immediately made his impact felt with a series of top ten results in international races. He finished the season on the second step of the podium at the Japan Cup, after helping his teammate Neilson Powless to victory. We can't wait to see what the future has in store for him.

In 2023, Andrea made his grand tour debut at the Vuelta a España. The raced opened with the team placing third in the team time trial and on stage two, Andrea raced in the breakaway for over 160 kilometers, which earned him the race leader's red jersey for stage three.

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Simon Carr

Simon Carr was raised in the shadow of the Pyrénées in the south of France. His Welsh parents had moved there when he was a small child, so he would have the chance to spend his youth in the countryside. He started cycling on an old mountain-bike they had lying around their home and did his first races at his French public school. His family spoke English at home, but otherwise Simon’s upbringing was French.

He wasn’t very good at trials or downhill at first, but did very well in endurance cross-country. Soon, the nearby mountains lured him onto the road and he joined a local club. He wanted to dance up cols in the Tour de France.

After some great results as a junior, Simon made the move to the World Tour with EF Education-Easypost in 2021. He finished his first grand tour, the Giro; won the young rider’s classification at his home stage race, the Tour de Occitanie; and had a great ride at the Strade Bianche, where he finished 11th. He backed that up with a number of strong rides in 2022. Last year, Simon earned four big wins, with victories on stages of the Tour of the Alps, Tour de Occitanie, and Tour of Langkawi, where he also won the overall title.

In the future, our young French-British climber hopes to win grand-tour mountain stages and classics such as Liêge-Bastogne-Liêge.

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