A final Tour de France, his third Olympic Games, two Tours of Italy and an end to the World Championships in Montreal in 2026: Hugo Houle has a fairly clear idea of how he wants to end his career at 36 years old.
This roadmap is of course dependent on the vagaries of the selections, his form and his health. In November, on a winding descent near his home in Monaco, his rear wheel slipped on a rock and he ended up on the asphalt at high speed. While trying to protect himself, he broke a bone in his wrist.
The immobilization of his arm cost him a few weeks of training. More recently, at the start of an important training course at altitude in South Africa, a respiratory illness confined him to bed for around ten days.
“I had an infection that required a lot of antibiotics,” Houle said, his voice still hoarse, earlier this week.
The 33-year-old cyclist only fully recovered a week before the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes, where he launched his 12e professional season in Europe, February 17 and 18.
It’s clear that I was limited in terms of physical strength, but I managed to stay with the peloton until the end and help the team. Compared to my standard level, I was still very far from what I am capable of.
Hugo Houle, on his return to competition
This is obviously not the way the representative of Israel-Premier Tech (IPT) envisioned his start to the campaign. In an ideal world, he would have been in great shape at Paris-Nice (March 3 to 10), the first stage of which will tickle the route of the Olympic road event, scheduled for August 3.
Given his delay, Houle will use the Race to the Sun – nickname for Paris-Nice – more as a springboard towards Milan-San Remo (March 16) and then the Flandrian classics in Belgium, where he wishes to score points. points towards selection for the Olympic Games.
In a peloton reduced to 90 riders – 128 in 2021 – Canada will be limited to two starters, or half of the Tokyo squad.
“I’m leaving with two holds against me at the moment,” noted Houle, thinking of the physical problems that compromised his preparation during the offseason.
The stage winner at the 2022 Tour de France did not seem overly concerned. The selectors will rely on the performances achieved between 1er June 2023 and May 31, 2024. The Perpétuen knows his value, whether as a luxury teammate or as an attacker who will be able to anticipate the right breakaway during a 273 km event which promises to be difficult to control. Favorite nations like Belgium or France will be limited to a maximum of four color wearers.
“I have no doubt that I can still find myself at a good level for the spring classics. At least that’s my motivation at the moment. »
PHOTO BRENTON EDWARDS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES
Derek Gee at the Tour Down Under, in Australia, last January
In his eyes, three other Canadian cyclists can claim one of the two available places: Michael Woods, fifth in Tokyo and who seems to have a head start based on his results last year; veteran Guillaume Boivin, who aspires to his second Olympics; former track rider Derek Gee, revelation at the Giro last year.
“We are four runners in the same team [IPT], which makes it a little more special, emphasized Houle. It’s a great motivation. I hope it works and I can go. I consider that I have good chances and that the course suits me well. I leave it in the hands of the big decision-makers and we will see how the season will develop. It certainly won’t be an easy selection for them. »
Playing on two tables
If he plans to return to Paris-Roubaix (April 7), Hugo Houle will this time take his turn for the Ardennes, including the Amstel Gold Race (April 14) and Liège-Bastogne-Liège (April 21), both last classics on which the Olympic selectors will emphasize.
The Quebecer prefers to devote himself entirely to preparing for what would be his sixth and final Tour de France (from June 29 to July 21). This 111e Grande Boucle has a special character for two reasons: the unprecedented final stage, a time trial between Monaco and Nice, where he has lived since the start of 2020, and the start of the 17e stopover in Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, his place of residence for six years with his friend Antoine Duchesne.
PHOTO DANIEL COLE, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Hugo Houle in the climb of the Grand Colombier at the 13e stage of the Tour de France, on July 14
“As far as I know, I will have full freedom to attack because we will not have any aim in the general classification. »
According to initial plans, Houle is also expected to play a role in preparing sprints for newcomer Pascal Ackermann, a five-time German stage winner at the Giro and Vuelta.
“I will be able to play a little on both counts, either being useful to the guys for the lead-out while remaining opportunistic on the medium and high mountain stages. I keep my freedom, and that’s what’s also nice about Israel-Premier Tech. I’m not locked in as if I were at Bora Hansgrohe, Jumbo-Lease a Bike or Ineos. It may change over time, but I have free rein for the month of July. »
Model teammate
Houle wants to end his adventure with the Tour de France “in style” before turning his attention to the Tour of Italy, which he competed in 2015 and 2016 with AG2R La Mondiale.
“I really liked the atmosphere at the Giro. The racing style also allows attackers like me to go into the breakaway and try to win a stage. After winning one at the Tour, this is one of the objectives that I set for myself before ending my career: to try to win one at the Giro. »
As he revealed last fall to colleague Sébastien Boucher, from Radio-Canada, this Italian dream combines with that of presenting himself at the top of his form at the 2025 and, above all, 2026 World Championships in Montreal, after which he plans to hang up his bike for good.
In my initial plans, I stopped after Paris 2024, but the Arsenault family forced me to see them again by obtaining the World Championships!
Hugo Houle
Obtaining the event by Sébastien and Serge Arsenault, founders and organizers of the Quebec GPs, gave him the breath necessary to extend his career by two years, with the blessing of his lover, an accountant in Monaco.
“I have been an expatriate for several years now. My girlfriend must have agreed too. From a family point of view, I’m not as young too, that has more of an impact than when I was 23. But I would say that the decision was made naturally. »
PHOTO JACQUES BOISSINOT, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Hugo Houle (center), in the peloton during the Quebec Cycling Grand Prix, in September 2022
On a sporting level, he still has resilience. “I still have the motivation and it will be another goal to be at the top in 2026. The idea of doing the Giro [en mai] is to be freer in July to really devote myself to a second specific preparation for the month of September, with the races in Quebec and Montreal and the Worlds. »
These personal ambitions do not make him lose sight of what he makes a good living on two wheels for.
“Yes, I am capable of winning smaller races or performing well overall in races like last weekend when I am in good shape. But 90% of the year, my main role is to be a model team member. It’s what I love to do and it’s what I’m best at. »
Hugo Houle therefore intends to do so for three more seasons, without a shadow of a doubt under the colors of Israel-Premier Tech, an Israeli and Canadian team that he has represented since 2022. All he has to do is add his signature at the bottom of a contract extension whose negotiations are already “very advanced”.
Thunderous start
PHOTO BRENTON EDWARDS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES
Stephen Williams won the most recent Tour Down Under.
Often mocked for its inclination to hire aging riders (Chris Froome, André Greipel), Israel-Premier Tech is changing its image with a thunderous start to the season.
In January, Briton Stephen Williams first won the Tour Down Under in Australia by winning the last stage. Belgian Tom Van Asbroeck doubled the lead with a sprint victory at the last minute on the third stage of the Tour de Provence.
Well launched by Quebecer Guillaume Boivin, British rookie Ethan Vernon, 23, proved to live up to his promises by raising his arms in the inaugural stage of the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes.
At the Tour of Rwanda, the Israeli champion sprinter Itamar Einhorn took the measure of the young nugget William Lecerf fils (Quick-Step) in the second stage. His teammate Joe Blackmore did it again on the sixth stage on Friday, winning at the summit of Mount Kigali on his 21e birthday. The young Briton stripped Lecerf of his yellow leader’s jersey. Einhorn added a second stage to his Rwandan record, winning on Saturday after a breakaway.
The Canadian Michael Woods also showed his advantage by finishing fourth at the Classic Var, held in France, as its name indicates.
“It creates a positive atmosphere and relaxes everyone a little,” noted Hugo Houle. We remain a young team. We are slowly leveling up also from an organizational and staff point of view. We got off to a good start. Let’s hope it continues. » Houle will participate in the Drôme Classic on Sunday.