2023-07-09 23:55:18
This is the third stage victory for a Canadian, following Steve Bauer in 1988 and Hugo Houle in 2022.
Woods covered the 182.4 km distance between Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat and the Puy de Dôme in 4 hours 19 minutes 41 seconds.
Michael Woods becomes the third Canadian to win a Tour de France stage. The details with Sébastien Boucher.
Woods, the colors of the Israel-Premier Tech team, has no ambitions in the general classification and was part of an early breakaway that the main competitors let form at the start of the ninth stage.
It was very hard on this climb, even at the start I didn’t think I might win. I thought I had to give my best effort. If I didn’t win, I still wanted to give my best, Woods told France 2.
“800 meters from the finish, I saw that it was really possible so I gave everything I might. »
— A quote from Michael Woods, at the microphone of France 2, regarding the end of the race
It’s a big day that ends really well, said Woods teammate Guillaume Boivin. Michael was extraordinary on the last climb. It was the plan to be in the breakaway with him so we might put up with it. It was very difficult, but it’s an incredible day for our team, we are really happy.
When the plan works perfectly like today (Sunday), it’s wonderful! Hats off to Mike for what he has accomplished. It gives us a lot of momentum for the rest of the Tour and it shows that we really deserve to be here, said Hugo Houle regarding his teammate’s victory.
Dane Jonas Vingegaard conceded eight seconds to his Slovenian rival Tadej Pogacar, but retains the yellow jersey.
Escaped from the start with thirteen other runners, the Canadian veteran caught up in extremis with the American Matteo Jorgenson, who had started alone 46 kilometers from the finish, to win on the terrifying slopes of the volcano at an altitude of 1415 m. .
Woods, 36, plugged a two-minute hole at the foot of the Puy de Dôme to come back to Jorgenson 450 meters from the line and win ahead of Frenchman Pierre Latour and Slovenian Matej Mohoric.
Michael Woods is the third Canadian to win a Tour de France stage.
Photo : AFP / THOMAS SAMSON
Good-looking Jorgeson paid tribute to Woods following the race.
I believed it. I knew that Woods was going to go up faster than me on the bump, I played my card, said the American to France 2, and in the language of Molière. I’m proud to have done this on my own. He caught up with me, but that’s how it is, that’s racing.
The peloton, with all the main favorites, was more than 16 minutes behind the American at the foot of the last spiral climb (13.3 kilometers at 7.7% including the final four kilometers prohibited to the public at 12%) that the best climb in a good half hour.
When I saw the band we had [en échappée], I knew Woods and maybe Neilson Powless were going to beat me on the climb. I knew I had to push further. If the guys had given me more time, maybe I might have made it, but a minute early…it was hot!
With this prestigious success, Woods is part of a royal line, alongside Fausto Coppi, first winner at the Puy de Dôme in 1952, Federico Bahamontes, who celebrated his 94th birthday this Sunday, Luis Ocaña or Lucien Van Impe, crowned in 1975, the year Eddy Merckx was boxed by a spectator in the stomach.
The puy de Dôme (1415 m) was also the scene of a hands and hands legendary between Jacques Anquetil and Raymond Poulidor in 1964 when Poupou had regained 42 seconds, without being able to deprive his rival of a fifth final crown.
Dane Johnny Weltz was the last winner at the top in 1988, following a long breakaway already.
The curtain then fell on the Puy de Dôme for a question of preservation of this exceptional natural site, labeled Grand Site de France since 2008 and UNESCO World Heritage since 2018.
A barrier also blocks access to these last four kilometers, prohibited even to cyclists all year round, on a track barely four meters wide, bordered by a panoramic cogwheel train.
With the Canadian Press and Sportcom
To have : an episode of the series « The Olympic Dream » on Michael Woods before the Tokyo Games :
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