Victory may be fleeting, but some victories stick in the memory for a long time.
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That of the Canadian Michael Woods during the 9e stage at Puy-de-Dôme is definitely in the second category.
As he crosses the finish line at the top of the mythical Puy de Dôme, Canadian Michael Woods raises his arms to celebrate the greatest triumph of his career.
Photo: AFP
It must be said that the Canadians on the Tour de France have a sense of spectacle.
After Hugo Houle’s victory on July 19, 2022, with his finger pointed to the sky for his deceased brother, Michael Woods went a long way, very far. His delay to the leading American seemed insurmountable even to the commentators, who seemed to say that it was done for Matteo Jorgenson.
And then the miracle happened. Or is it simply by the will and heart of the Ottawa native runner? Never mind. The gap started to melt awfully quickly, and Woods seemed to believe it with Jorgenson in focus on the road.
Michael Woods delivered the fatal blow to Matteo Jorgenson on the rise, about 500 meters from the finish.
Photo: AFP
His ability to unclamp his opponent completely washed out 500 meters from the finish line confirmed that the cyclist was finally living his day of glory after several falls, injuries and personal dramas in recent years.
” Very special “
“It’s very special to win here. I am 36 years old, I am not getting any younger and I had never won a stage in the Tour de France. That was the goal I had to accomplish before I saw the doors close. I wish I could say this victory was planned, but I didn’t have all the cards in hand. I was one of the runners being watched, I was even the man to watch in the group,” Woods explained after the stage.
‘Rusty’ had to be patient and try not to think too much about winning when he was behind Jorgenson. In his own opinion, the climb was very steep and the suffering difficult to bear.
“I wasn’t thinking of taking it back, but I just wanted to give my all. It’s a dream come true,” he added.
“I was empty”
His opponent could only see the damage. “I had 30 seconds left one kilometer from the summit but I was exhausted. I could not do anything. I don’t regret taking that risk, even if it didn’t pay off. »
Photo: AFP
Hugo Houle, who wanted a victory for his teammate at the start of the Tour, was obviously very happy with this feat.
“At five kilometers, I knew he was far. He must have had his plan in mind, but he still had to do it. It was a great victory and he managed to accomplish what he had been working so hard for since the spring. It will take a lot of pressure off the team. »
For his part, the Quebecer Guillaume Boivin was also very satisfied to have accompanied and helped Woods in the breakaway of the day. After witnessing the conquest of Houle in 2022, this time he is again an important player in the victory of a friend.
“It was quite a day! It was the plan for the morning but we had to go full throttle before the peloton behind us let go. Mike was the strongest and that’s to his credit. Everyone has been talking about the Puy de Dôme for months. I told him well done, enjoy it and I love you! summed up the 34-year-old cyclist.
Photo: AFP
An anthology piece
The co-owner of the team and CEO of Premier Tech, sponsor of the training, also savored this magical moment.
“It’s an anthology. With heart and emotions. It’s incredible, on a mythical mountain. Between saying it and doing it, it’s two things. It’s the apotheosis for him,” added Jean Bélanger. Passionate about cycling, the latter suggested that there was still room on the walls of the Rivière-du-Loup company to pin other champions’ jerseys.
“It’s stupid, the climb he made. The seconds were ticking down and as soon as he saw Jorgenson, it was over. It’s a big sporting number, ”also greeted the retired Antoine Duchesne, who did not miss anything.
Front row seats
Like last year, former yellow jersey Steve Bauer was still in the front row in the team car.
“We always thought it was only possible with such a steep slope and we encouraged him to do a time trial in the final. The two Canadian victories are very special”, proudly concluded the sporting director.
Ranking
9e stage | 182.4 km
1. Michael Woods (CAN/IPT) | 4:19:41 a.m.
2. Pierre Latour (ENG/TEN) | at 28 sec.
3. Matej Mohoric (SLO/TBV) | at 35 sec.
4. Matteo Jorgenson (US/MOV) | at 36 sec.
5. Clement Berthet (FRA/ACT) | at 55 sec
77. Guillaume Boivin (CAN/IPT) | at 24:21
85. Hugo Houle (CAN/IPT) | at 26:12
General classification
1. Jonah Vingegaard (DAN/TJV) | 38 h 37 min 46 s
2. Tadej Pogacar (SLO/UAD) | at 17 sec.
3. I have Hindley (AUT/BOH) | at 2 min 40 s
4. Carlos Rodriguez (ESP/IGD) | at 4 min 22 s
5. Adam Yates (GBR/UAD) | at 4:39
22. Michael woods (CAN/IPT) | at 19:39
72. Hugo Swell (CAN/IPT) | at 1 h 14 min 49 s
111. Guillaume Bovine (CAN/IPT) | at 1 h 41 min 31 s
An exceptional athlete
The anecdote is worth telling to explain what kind of athlete Michael Woods is.
Context is also important even though I hate being at the heart of the story. A journalist must be in the background.
It can be cliché to call someone generous, approachable, and grateful. Woods really is and obviously not all athletes are.
I have always ridden competitive bikes myself. In fact, I don’t think I missed a single weekend of competition between 1993 and 2015. That’s an understatement. Even though I entered Quebec newspaper in august 2003, i continued to race until the age of 35 in several successful teams when i was the only one with a full-time job.
I spent a full season with Hugo Houle as a teammate in 2009, and another in 2013 when Michael Woods, known as Michel Dubois in Quebec, was an exceptional recruit but without much knowledge of cycling within the defunct Garneau-Quebecor team. .
I was never close to him at the time but Mike always knew how to thank those around him, his teammates and his training staff.
“I’m proud of myself, proud of my team”, were, unsurprisingly, his first words yesterday.
paternal anxieties
In September 2018, he and his wife Elly lost a child at birth. A terrible ordeal. The following summer in Brussels, at the start of the Tour de France 2019, our respective spouses experienced a difficult and worrying start to their pregnancy. Instead of the interview, we found ourselves talking about our paternal anxieties. Fortunately, both babies were born healthy in almost the same week at the start of 2020.
With the damn COVID-19, the Tour de France 2020 has been postponed by a few weeks at the end of the summer. Unable to attend, but in a press conference call with four-time Tour winner Chris Froome, Woods knocked me to the ground answering my question in front of all the international media.
“Hi JF! You know, JF was my teammate when I started at Garneau in Quebec…”
What did the Belgians, the Italians and the French give a damn about the totally unknown amateur rider, better with words than on a bike? Nothing at all. Except that Michael Woods never forgets anyone.