In his national champion jersey inspired by the 1987 Canada Cup jersey, Michael Woods didn’t have the supernatural flair of Wayne Gretzky or the magical finishing of Mario Lemieux. And even less the sprint of Donovan Bailey at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, whose jersey typography ended up on the Ottawa cyclist’s jersey at his request.
Two weeks after his stage victory at the Vuelta, Woods had nothing to be ashamed of in his performance at the Montreal Grand Prix, where he finished eighth, 40 seconds behind the unstoppable Tadej Pogačar (UAE).
“It’s not a big disappointment,” assured the climber from Israel-Premier Tech (IPT), who equaled his best result in eight starts on the mountain.
I’m proud of this eighth place. I tried hard in the sprint. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as fast as the others. But I think I was one of the best climbers today. It gives me confidence for the World Championships in two weeks.
Michael Woods
Warned by Hugo Houle of Pogačar’s imminent attack on the penultimate climb of Camillien-Houde, the 37-year-old Canadian was not well enough positioned to hope to attempt anything after the Slovenian rocket took off.
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
Two weeks after his stage victory at the Vuelta, Woods (second in this photo) had nothing to be ashamed of in his performance at the Grand Prix of Montreal, where he finished eighth.
“I wasn’t well placed. If you’re not in Pogačar’s wheel, you can forget about it. The hope of victory disappeared at that moment.”
In any case, even Matteo Jorgenson (Visma) and Julian Alaphilippe, respectively second and third wheel, were not able to do anything.
Strongly supported by Danish veteran Jakob Fuglsang (excellent 16e), Woods played his cards well afterwards, however, even managing to bridge the gap with the chasing group on the final climb of Camillien-Houde, at the top of which he was the first to fall. However, the Spanish puncher Pello Bilbao (Bahrain) had already broken away from the Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal) and the Spanish champion Alex Aranburu (Movistar), en route to second place.
“Despite everything, I tried several attacks, I animated the race, I’m proud of that,” rejoiced Woods, who will aim for a second podium at the Zurich World Championships on a course that suits him.
“Montreal is almost home to me, and today’s race was a goal in itself, but I’m also ready for the World Championships,” concluded the former running specialist.
After an “ordinary” performance Friday in Quebec, according to Guillaume Boivin, the Israel-Premier Tech squadron showed itself to be much more up to par in the metropolis, even if its British star Stephen Williams did not find his legs on Highway 20.
“I’m happy with my race, I tried to help Mike and Jakob Fuglsang as much as possible,” explained Hugo Houle (51e), adding that the heat had made the ordeal “extremely difficult.”
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
Hugo Houle
I was able to hang on until two laps to go. At that point, my legs said it was over… It was a great performance. Eighth for Mike is still excellent, even if I think he was hoping for better. The team had a good race.
Hugo Houle
Frustrated by what he saw as Cycling Canada’s inadequate treatment of road athletes at the worlds in Scotland last year, Houle opted to pass on his trip to Zurich. After a three-week break from racing, the 2022 Tour de France stage winner will look to stay motivated to wrap up his season on a high note with four races in Italy in October.
Light failure for Gee
PHOTO PHOEBE HAYMES, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Derek Gee
After experiencing a “shock” in Quebec for his return to competition since his ninth place in the Tour de France and the Paris Olympic Games, Derek Gee did what he could to position Woods at the foot of the penultimate climb of Camillien-Houde.
“After that, the lights went out!” said the Ottawa athlete, 48, with a smile.e at the finish. My legs were terrible in Quebec and they were a little better today. When Tadej is on the line, you know what to expect, but that doesn’t make things any easier!
Piccoli’s Last Salute
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
James Piccoli
Author of the first attack of the day at the foot of Mount Royal, James Piccoli took the lead in front of his fan club posted in the first bend of the Camillien-Houde route. For the very last race of his career, the 33-year-old Montrealer remained alone until the first crossing of the summit of a mountain that he has crossed thousands of times on his bike. Piccoli abandoned with a few laps to go, putting an end to an unexpected 10-year adventure in the world of professional cycling.
Disqualification avoided for Bilbao
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
Tadej Pogačar (right) and Pello Bilbao
Bilbao narrowly escaped disqualification after moving a little too far in front of his saddle in two places on descents during his pursuit of Pogačar. For safety reasons, a UCI rule prohibits a rider from sitting on his top tube to improve his aerodynamics. After discussions between the commissaires, the Basque from Bahrain was only given a yellow card, which allowed him to hold on to a second place that he hopes will revive his team stuck in a “negative” spiral after a Tour and a Vuelta below expectations.
The “best test” for the World Championships
Mauro Gianetti, general manager of UAE Team Emirates, was at least as happy as Pogačar after his protégé’s victory on the Avenue du Parc.
“It’s a big race and that’s why Tadej wanted to come,” said the Swiss, who honoured a promise made to the organisers by attending the Grand Prix for the first time.
“He wanted to do circuit races and try to win here. This race has value at an international level and also in terms of physical performance because it is a demanding course. It is the best possible test ahead of the World Championships, but he was also here to try to win.”
Gianetti took part in two editions of the Grand Prix of the Americas, the forerunner of the current WorldTour event, narrowly missing victory in 1991. “I was alone in a breakaway and I was caught by a group led by [Maurizio] Fondriest with a few hundred meters to go. I had finished fourth.”
The Netflix guy!
The Press had the privilege of completing two laps of the circuit with Décathlon-AG2R La Mondiale, the most popular car in the caravan. Driver and sports director Julien Jurdie has become a real star since his notable presence in the two seasons of the series Tour de France: in the heart of the pelotonwhich has been streaming on Netflix since last year.
“It’s the Netflix guy!” we could hear from top to bottom of the Camillien-Houde and Polytechnique hills. On his first trip to Canada, Jurdie was charmed by the warmth and kindness of Quebecers, a little less by the quality of the surface on the Mount Royal circuit. “They’re going to redo the road for the 2026 World Championships, right?” I didn’t dare tell him about our love affair with potholes and orange cones…
Tribute to the 1974 world champion
A beautiful tribute from the organizers to Geneviève Gambillon on the occasion of the 50the anniversary of her gold medal at the 1974 World Championships in Montreal. The Frenchwoman said she had fractured her collarbone and displaced the acromion in her shoulder in a fall during a warm-up the previous week in France.
The French team officials had lent her a bike so that she could return herself to the center where the athletes were staying, 110 kilometers away. “We didn’t get much respect from the federation,” agreed the woman who later worked as a nurse. “On the other hand, you can’t get anything by putting people in cotton wool either.”
Obviously still affected by her injury in Montreal, she needed her other arm to place her hand on the handlebars! Winner of a two-man sprint on Édouard-Montpetit Boulevard, Mme Gambillon was unable to raise his arms upon arrival due to pain, as spectators could see in the photo posted on the giant screen during the presentation.
The former world champion received a rainbow jersey signed by her compatriot Julian Alaphilippe, crowned in 2020 and 2021.
Mme Gambillon also rang the bell for the final round, which allowed Louis Bertrand, the Mario Lemieux of animation who missed nothing until the very end, to tell the story of how she had returned to the metropolis in 1975 to win another international event.