Team Soars Over Richmond's Cobbles
Doebel-Hickok, Zukowsky impress on stage 2 of Tour For All.
The virtual cobblestones of Richmond, VA were no match for Rally Cycling on stage 2 of Zwift's Tour For All. Canadian U23 road champ Nickolas Zukowsky kicked things off with an incredible sixth-place finish from a lead group that included Olympic Road champion Greg Van Avermaet (CCC Team) and three-time World Cyclocross champion Matthieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix).
In the women's race, Krista Doebel-Hickok went toe to toe with the CCC-LIV pair of Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio and Marianne Vos before a marvelous fourth-place finish that catapulted her up the overall points standings. Heidi Franz won the sprint behind for 11th.
"Physically, I'm feeling pretty destroyed right now," said Zukowsky following his early morning effort. "The top guys have some serious horsepower and being competitive in the finale leaves me satisfied. I'm happy with the result."
Not all riders have fully made the transition into virtual racing but Zukowsky is not part of that group. The young Canadian put his knowledge of the Zwift platform to good use, knowing when to coast and when to apply power in advance of the steeper gradients.
