The quest for the glory of the classics, Neilson Paures (EF Education -EasyPost) said this week that the US rider returned to full training and has been "painless" since he withdrew from Stage 10 at Tirreno Adriatico 6 days ago.

The 27・year-old embarked on the 2024 campaign with a focus on the spring classic just 1 month ago and was circling Milan Sanremo on the calendar as the goal to be on the podium from 7 January last year. When La Primavera arrived, EF Education-EasyPost's start list included two spots from the podium behind champion Jasper Filipsen (Alpecin de Tuninck) as he watched his teammate Alberto Bettiol fight on TELEVISION in the final sprint finish. I was able to finish the set. 

"It was absolutely difficult just to see Milan San Remo. I was screaming for Bettior, and at the same time, I just wanted to be there badly. But we know we made the right decision not to race there," he said in a team statement about missing the first monument of the season

"Usually this will be the most intense training and racing period of the year, with the exception of probably the Tour de France. It was quite a few hands on the team deck to make me healthy and it made me feel like I've been well cared for. I'm sure we've made the right call so far because there are a lot of good people who take care of me and look out for me."

His fifth season with EF Education has so far been bumpy, fruitless Che who became 86th in the DNFs and Strade Bianche in the bunk race His most recent spill came on the 2nd day from the end of the race at Tirreno Adriatico, when he left the stage 6 Because of the pain around his right knee, he rested for a few days and then resumed light workouts with workouts aimed at the hips, hips and legs.

"The pain occurred very aggressively. He had something similar in his left knee last year, so he didn't want to make it worse, so he was very careful about leaving the race," said Matt Rabin, the team's chiropractor and head of athlete care.

"We expect him to resume his normal training on Tuesday [March19]. He is on the right path.

In the team's statement, Paurese's pain was not a single crash due to a combination of factors. In the early part of Stage 4, which was cold and rainy at O Gran Camiño, the 27-year-old US rider moved solo to keep the Peloton away, but slipped down the road to an area of pooled water from a strong gust of wind. He suffered only a road rush, but when the momentum slowed and shut down the attack, Paules withdrew from the race on the team bus before the final climb.

"The priority is to rest Neilson and make sure his injuries are completely healed and he is completely healthy and ready to go. And that's when he comes back to the race," said team CEO Jonathan Waters. According to the team's statement, Paules has confirmed "no pain" in the last few days as he has been working on training at 90% of his intensity.

"Now Neilson has a problem and Alberto [Bettiol] is on top of his game. Last year, it was the exact opposite. Of course, I would love it if both of them were on top of their game at the same time, but that's not the case.

A day had not been set for Paurese to return to action, but he remained resolute about his early season goals, winning the Spring classic, or one of the five monuments, and now he has missed one opportunity and lost four. 

"The victory of the monument is probably the biggest goal I have right now. I feel it is achievable and a realistic goal that I have for myself. It's never easy, it's very, very, very difficult to win," Paules told Cyclingnews before his start at O Gran Camiño. 

"I was standing in front of a big 2-day race for about 2 years, kicking off when I won in San Sebastian. That's what gave me a little more confidence in tracking after those results.

The landmark victory of his 1st World Tour came in San Sebastian in 2021. Last year he won the GC at Etoile de Bessege and won the top 10 in one-day races, including third place at De World A Vlaanderen and fifth place on the tour of Flanders. 

On a tour of Flanders in 2024, there are 10 days left to the next monument, and it is possible that Paules is back on track.

"As long as I can do a week's training without problems, we will start to decide on a return race," Neilson said. "I'm itchy for it, but I have a lot of people looking out for me, and I appreciate it."""

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