(Montreal) Cyclist Hugo Houle (Israel – Premier Tech) flirted with his first professional victory in Europe on Tuesday in the second stage of the Tour of the Basque Country. The Quebecer fought in the sprint to finish fourth in this race won by world champion Julian Alaphilippe (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) in a final climb tailor-made for the Frenchman.
Posted at 2:12 p.m.
“I’m happy with the way I raced and I have no regrets! Even if I had been stuck in his wheel, I would never have gone around Alaphilippe, because he has a bigger sprint than me. The only small mistake I made was letting the guy from TotalÉnergies (Fabien Doubey, second of the day) pass at the roundabout,” admitted the 31-year-old athlete in an interview with Sportcom.
“I thought it would have been useful to have one more guy in front of me, but in the end it was a mistake. All in all, I’m very happy and it’s my best result in a World Tour race, so I’m not going to complain. I’m happy to have managed to take the right wheel in the final where it was still very technical. »
Quebecers James Piccoli (Israel – Premier Tech) and Antoine Duchesne (Groupama – FDJ) respectively finished 92and and 129andat the same time as the winner.
Houle first tried to position his teammate Michael Woods well in the uphill final, which was also narrow and punctuated by many tight turns, except it was ultimately for himself that he played his last cards, while the Ontarian was the 15and to reach the finish.
In front of Houle, the Belgian Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) perfectly set the table for the first victory of the season for his teammate Alaphilippe. When the latter won, Evenepoel raised his arms in victory before even finishing his race.
“Remco did a great job for Alaphilippe and it’s clear that he would go all the way. I’m happy to have managed to take my place behind and it was not easy. I’m satisfied and it was fun to be there at the right time”, admitted the Canadian champion in the time trial, adding that he was even able to enjoy the landscapes on the 208 kilometers between Leitza and Viana, while knowing that the next few days will be more difficult.
“It gives me confidence for the future, it’s encouraging and it motivates me. It makes me run better. Having this assurance that I can keep my place in the final, I am not impressed by riders like Alaphilippe or Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers), who wanted to take my wheel. »
No change at the top of the provisional general classification where the Slovenian Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) remains in the lead with a lead of 5 seconds over Remco Evenepoel. Swell (+38 seconds) gains a rank, from the 38and at the 37and square. Duchesne (+56 seconds) goes from 95and at 86and echelon and Piccoli (+1 minute 10 seconds) of 127and at 111and.
The third stage of the Tour of the Basque Country will be contested over a 182 kilometer route between Llodio and Amurrio on Wednesday.