Hugo Houle takes third place at Maryland Cycling Classic

Israel – Premier Tech rider Hugo Houle secured a podium finish at the Maryland Cycling Classic, displaying a strong team performance in Baltimore. Battling challenging terrain and hot temperatures, Houle sprinted to third place from a select group, earning his first-ever one-day race podium spot. Houle expressed his satisfaction, saying, “I am happy because I had quite a long break as I was sick after Worlds so I didn’t know exactly where the shape was, and now, I can take confidence ahead of the Canadian races.”

The race was won by Mattias Skjelmose with a solo attack, while Houle found himself in a three-man sprint for the final two podium places. Unfortunately, Neilson Powless edged him out of second place. Reflecting on the race, Houle said, “I am really happy as I think I did the best I could in that situation…Skjelmose and Powless were strong and luckily I was in the wheel when they attacked and we turned around and saw that no-one was there. When we entered the circuit I knew it would be complicated because I was fighting against two Lidl – Trek and two Jayco Alula riders and Neilson Powless was really strong. I tried to play it smart and when Toms Skujins went up the road, Powless was the strongest to pull him back and then Trek went again. I was quite good and was able to jump a few times but I couldn’t do it alone. Skjelmose went away and we understood that we would be racing for second place. I attacked a few times but the guys were as strong as me and in the sprint, Neilson anticipated it well, and I couldn’t go around him.“

It wasn’t just Houle who had a strong performance. The entire Israel – Premier Tech team demonstrated grit and determination throughout the race. Stagiaire Riley Sheehan, making his debut for the team on home soil, impressed with a strong ninth-place finish. Houle commended his teammates, saying, “It was really good to see the teamwork today. We always had numbers up there which was our plan and we executed it really well. All of the guys were really good…So we can be proud of our race today.”

Sports Director Steve Bauer praised the team’s commitment to the race plan, with Israel – Premier Tech represented in all of the key moves as planned. He stated, “As a team the guys rode really well…Overall, I’m super happy with the group today and we can come away knowing we fought hard for that podium result.“