Racing for Pinarello Q36.5 as a late addition to the peloton, Zukowsky navigated a crash-heavy week that he described to Sportcom and RDS as mentally and physically demanding. The athlete from Sainte-Lucie-des-Laurentides completed his first multi-day stage race since the Giro d’Italia in June, crossing the final two stages in 62nd and 64th places. According to Sportcom, Zukowsky stated his primary personal victory was staying healthy through the chaos.
Zukowsky Survives High-Stress Renewi Tour
Zukowsky’s teammate Quinten Hermans secured fifth place in the general classification, finishing 33 seconds behind overall winner Jasper Philipsen of Alpecin – Premier Tech, who claimed three stage victories. Zukowsky also credited Irish teammate Sam Bennett, who placed seventh in the sprinter classification with three top-10 finishes during the week.
Canadian Contingent Prepares for September World Championships
Other Canadian riders also tackled the Belgian stage race. Guillaume Boivin (NSN) finished 98th in the general classification, while his teammate Pier-André Côté withdrew before the fourth stage following a crash on the opening day, as reported by Sportcom and RDS.
Zukowsky will make one final European appearance at the Bretagne Classic Ouest-France before traveling back to Canada. His autumn campaign focuses squarely on the Grand Prix races in Quebec and the UCI World Championships in Montreal, marking his first appearance at the global championships since the 2023 edition in Glasgow, where he placed 40th.
Houle Debuts at the Vuelta a España
While Zukowsky wrapped up his Belgian campaign, fellow Canadian Hugo Houle made his Grand Tour debut for Alpecin – Premier Tech at the Vuelta a España, according to Sportcom and RDS. Houle finished 140th in the opening time trial won by Tadej Pogacar of UAE Emirates – XRG. During Sunday’s stage, Houle worked in support of his teammates before finishing 3 minutes and 56 seconds behind stage winner Matthew Brennan of Visma | Lease a Bike.
Ramses Debruyne led the Alpecin – Premier Tech squad with an 18th-place finish on the day. Pogacar maintains the overall provisional lead by nine seconds over Wout Van Aert, with Brennan holding third place ten seconds back. The Vuelta continues with a 174-kilometer third stage running from Gruissan to Font-Romeu.
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