Michael Woods thought the end had come. Instead, he’s winning Grand Tour stages and is hungry for a big result at home.
The 37-year-old from Ottawa will compete in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal on Sunday. He recently won a stage at the Vuelta a España, although an early-season illness caused him to struggle at the Giro d’Italia and have him considering retirement.
“I just thought I was getting older and that’s why I wasn’t performing as well in races,” Woods said. “It really held me back and made me think about retiring. Until I found out what was really going on.”
Woods withdrew from the Giro d’Italia in May after a crash left him with mild concussion symptoms. Further testing revealed he was battling Helicobacter pyloria bacterial stomach infection. His team believes he contracted the bacteria at a training camp in South Africa.
After months of recovery, Woods, who became the third Canadian to win a stage of the Tour de France last year, triumphed in the 13the mountainous stage of La Vuelta a España on August 30. It was his third career victory in Spain.
The world-class climber placed the victory among his greatest career achievements, given the circumstances.
“To be in a position where I was really considering quitting and then finally getting back into shape and working my way to the top of the sport was a really great feeling,” said Woods, who finished 41st.e of the road race at the Paris Olympics last month. It’s something I’m really proud of.”
With a stage win in his pocket, Woods withdrew from the Vuelta before the 17the stage and he focused on preparing for Montreal, as a late addition to the starting list.
The race is scheduled for Sunday, while the Quebec event will take place on Friday. Both races are the only North American events on the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) world circuit.
The Quebec race includes 16 laps totaling 201.6 kilometers and 2,976 meters of altitude, and is ideal for “punchers”.
For its part, the Montreal race covers 209.1 kilometres over 17 laps. The challenging course in and around Mount Royal includes 4,573 metres of total elevation, making it ideal for climbers like Woods.
“Once I was able to get the stage win, the team knew I was moving well. Montreal has definitely been a big goal for me in my career, to get a good result there,” said Woods, whose best finish in Montreal is eighth. “I just thought I’d give it a shot, and the team was excited.”
Pogacar as “big favorite”
Woods, who will only compete in the Montreal event, joins fellow Canadians Derek Gee of Ottawa, Hugo Houle of Sainte-Perpétue and Guillaume Boivin of Montreal in the peloton. All four riders are part of the Israel-Premier Tech team.
But they will face stiff opposition from three-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar, who will be riding for the first time since winning the Tour this year.
“He’s the best cyclist in the world. It’s going to be a very tough race,” Gee said. “He’ll be the big favourite.”
Gee ranked 105e in Quebec and 47e in Montreal last year, but he expects more from himself this year, after surprising the cycling world this season. He took third place at the Critérium du Dauphiné in June and ninth at the Tour de France in July.
“I don’t know what my form will be like in the second half of the year, but I’m really looking forward to finding out,” insisted Gee, who finished 44th.e of the Paris Olympic road race. The local crowd always gives a big boost to performances.”
Houle, who prefers the Quebec race, is also hoping to do better than in recent years. The 2022 Tour de France stage winner has suffered three retirements and recorded a 50e position in Quebec over the past two years.
“I’m staying focused after the Tour de France to try to stay in good shape and have a good race at home,” he said. “In recent years, I haven’t been very good. So I hope I can be better.”
The events bring Canadian cycling fans one year closer to the 2026 UCI Road World Championships in Montreal, a goal for the 33-year-old Houle after signing a contract extension through that date.
As for Woods, he has mentioned that he will likely retire when his contract expires at the end of 2025. But if he can continue to defy his age and win stages, another year is not out of the question.
“If I ride as well as I do now, I could consider competing in 2026. It would be so special to ride in Montreal,” he concluded.