USA forced into late Worlds change after Neilson Powless withdrawal

Neilson Powless has been ruled out of the USA team for the World Championships road race in Montreal due to illness. Daniel Benson has reported that he will be replaced in the line-up by Riley Sheehan of NSN Pro Cycling.

Powless has endured an ill-starred 2026 season, missing the entire Classics campaign and the Tour de France after undergoing knee surgery in February. He returned to action at the Tour of Austria in July, when he scored a stage victory in St. Johann Alpendorf.

The 30-year-old has since lined up at the Tour de Pologne and a number of Italian one-day races, but he abandoned last week’s Coppa Sabatini and has now withdrawn from the USA squad for the Montreal Worlds.

Sheehan steps in to take Powless’ place after a fine 2026 campaign that has included wins at the Circuit de Wallonie and on a stage of the Czech Tour. He placed fourth at the recent Philadelphia Classic.

Sheehan had made no secret of his disappointment when he was initially left out of the eight-man selection. Shortly after the squad was announced earlier this month, the 26-year-old wrote on X, “Let's not select the guys who've been winning races...” His late call-up now gives him the opportunity to make his case on the road in Montreal.

The American elite men’s squad for the Worlds is a strong one, with national champion Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) leading the line alongside Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), who showcased his form with third place at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal.

Kevin Vermaerke (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), who impressed with his attacking displays at the Vuelta a España, also features, along with Larry Warbasse (Tudor), Artem Shmidt (Netcompany-Ineos), Matteo Jorgenson (Visma Lease a Bike) and Sean Quinn (EF Education-EasyPost).

In the absence of defending champion Tadej Pogacar, there is optimism within the American camp that the team can make a real impression on the Montreal Worlds. The US hasn’t won a medal of any description in the elite men’s road race since Lance Armstrong claimed the rainbow jersey in Oslo in 1993.

Armstrong was later stripped of all results from August 1, 1998 – including his fourth place in the Valkenburg Worlds – after he was handed a lifetime doping ban by USADA in 2012.