Quebecer Hugo Houle makes no secret of the victory of his Canadian compatriot and teammate at Israel-Premier Tech Michael Woods in the 13e stage of the Tour of Spain on August 30 greatly inspired him, especially on the eve of the Grand Prix cycling races in Quebec and Montreal.
Houle, a 33-year-old veteran cyclist, said he is pumped for the GPCQM, which will take place on September 13 and 15, respectively. The Sainte-Perpétue cyclist said he particularly appreciated the fact that Woods, a 37-year-old Ottawa native, was able to hold his own in a Grand Tour like the Vuelta.
It was Woods’ third career stage win at the Vuelta a España, following those in 2018 and 2020, both in solo efforts in the mountains. It was also his 16e victory among professionals.
“It’s wonderful to see that despite being 37, he’s still performing very well, that his mind is still in the right place and that he’s hungry for results like this. We mustn’t forget that he (Woods) is the Canadian road cycling champion this year,” Houle recently told The Canadian Press in a telephone interview from Bormio, Italy, where he was putting the finishing touches on his preparation for the GPCQM.
PHOTO MIGUEL RIOPA, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES
Michael Woods
Houle assured that he is in resplendent form, having finished 19e in the cumulative ranking of the Tour of Poland and 64e rank of the Classic Bretagne-Ouest France last month. The main interested party, who ratified a new two-year contract with his team last week, also hopes that he will be able to continue on his path to go to Quebec.
The Quebecer has not always had great success at the GPCQM; he has not reached the finish line in Montreal since his 28e place, in 2019. A five-year drought — marked among other things by the cancellation of the event in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic — which he attributes to many factors, including a fairly busy schedule at the end of the season and some bad luck.
“In 2022, when I won a stage of the Tour de France, I think I had never been so fast in my entire career. Then, after that, my end of the season was sabotaged by a gastrointestinal infection, which ruined my chances of getting good results at the GPCQM,” he recalled.
Houle, whose best absolute career result at the GPCQM is a 15e position in Quebec in 2019, therefore refused to set specific goals for the only two UCI World Tour events in North America in 2024, saying only that he would like to “reach the finish line” this time around.
“My goal will be to support my teammates from Israel-Premier Tech, especially in Montreal where the race is really very demanding. If I succeed, then I can say mission accomplished,” noted the man who will participate in the GPCQM for the 10e times in his illustrious career.
Houle mentioned that he has the GPCQM at heart, because they will set the stage for the World Road Cycling Championships which will take place in Montreal, from September 20 to 27, 2026.
In the meantime, however, after taking a few days off with his family after the GPCQM, Houle said he will return to Europe to take part in the Italian Classics at the end of the season. And, with a bit of luck, he said, he would like to win a stage of the Giro d’Italia before the end of his contract in 2026.