(Sportcom) – Hugo Houle, from the Israel – Premier Tech team, once again supported his leader Michael Woods, on Saturday, during the sixth and final stage of the Tour of the Basque Country, in Spain. The Quebecer quickly snuck into the breakaway to set the stage for his teammate and fellow Canadian, 12and from day to day.
The cyclists once again faced a mountainous route for this last stage, which was disputed over 136 kilometers between Eibar and Arrate. Hugo Houle didn’t take long to make his mark and fled in the company of a dozen rivals from the first moments of the race.
“I managed to get out of the breakaway to be in front and help Mike (Woods) as best I could. That way, I was able to anticipate the blows during the race, especially on the many climbs. The goal was to ride forward until the toughest climb of the day,” explained Houle after the event.
True to form, the cyclist from Sainte-Perpétue fulfilled his mandate, not without difficulty, which benefited Michael Woods. He finally reached the finish 2 minutes 45 seconds behind the winner, Spaniard Ion Izagirre.
The leader of the Cofidis formation won a sprint with four runners, ahead in order of the Russian Aleksandr Vlasov (BORA – hansgrohe), the Spaniard Marc Soler (UEA Emirates) and the Colombian Daniel Felipe Martinez (INEOS Grenadiers).
“We managed to bring Mike up to the critical moment of the race and then the leaders were able to express themselves. It was good teamwork overall,” continued Houle, who eased off to finish the race in 52nd place, just over 16 minutes behind the winner.
Piccoli and Duchesne behind
Also in action during this last stage, Montreal’s James Piccoli, also a member of Israel – Premier Tech, and Saguen’s Antoine Duchesne (Groupama – FDJ) were unable to complete the course within the established time limit.
With his fourth place of the day, Daniel Felipe Martinez finished the competition at the top of the general classification ahead of Izagirre (+11 seconds) and Vlasov (+16 seconds).
For their part, Hugo Houle and Michael Woods finished 50th and 13th respectively, which, according to the Quebecer, bodes well for the rest of the season. The cyclists of the Israel – Premier Tech team will now want to build on the performances of the last week in view of the next competitions scheduled in Belgium.
“I think everyone is happy today (Saturday). We see that Mike’s form is improving day by day and that’s very encouraging. Personally, the form is also very good and it feels good to conclude the competition as a team. We have had a lot of bad luck since the start of the season, but we feel that the tide is turning and we want to continue on this path,” he concluded.