Michael Woods has made his decision. Still hesitant last June, the Ottawa cyclist confirmed Tuesday in an interview with - Sports that he intends to end his career in 2026, with participation in the world championships in the Quebec metropolis.
I made the decision in the last few months that I want to continue for another year, in 2026, Woods said. The World Championships will be in Montreal, and I thought it would be a great place to finish my career. Hopefully I can have a good season this year and prepare for a big final next year.
After a start to the 2024 season complicated by bacteria, Woods got back on track with a victory at the Canadian Championships, participation in the road race at the Olympic Games, a stage victory at the Tour of Spain and a nice 8th place. at the Montreal Cycling Grand Prix.
The 38-year-old athlete therefore feels ready for a 2025 season normal
his penultimate in all likelihood, without health problems.
For me, the biggest goal is the Tour de France, said Woods. I didn’t do it last year, and this year… the Tour is the Tour. Even though I wasn’t able to do it last year, I felt like I missed the most beautiful race in the world. I’m happy to be able to do it this year, and I hope to be able to get a stage.
The Canadian also intends to fight for the polka dot jersey of climbers after a first week which promises to be perilous while his teammate Derek Gee, 9th in the general classification in 2024, will harbor other ambitions as standard bearer of the new generation of cyclists behind Woods.
Given his own level and that of his teammates, it became logical for the veteran to end his career with an exclamation point on Mount Royal.
I hope that an event like [les mondiaux de 2026] can inspire the next generation. We have Guillaume [Boivin] and Hugo [Houle] also who will retire in the coming years. We have Derek Gee, runners like Pier-André Côté and Riley Pickrell, and it’s really important to have a race like this to give younger runners a goal and show the sport at its highest level.
Pier-André Côté, since we’re talking about it, obviously has his eyes fixed on 2026. The 27-year-old Gaspésie played well at the world championships at the end of last season with a 19th place in the individual time trial and a 44th place in the road race, the best Canadian results.
Côté knows that the generation of Woods, Boivin and Houle opened many doors for his. He will be almost thirty during the 2026 World Championships. Already, he is thinking of the opportunity that the great Montreal race could represent for those who will follow in his footsteps.
We have more and more young people crossing into Europe, earlier and earlier, to do the job, recalled Côté. It’s not all positive, because it’s a big jump to make early. But at least we’re showing that it’s achievable, that we succeeded, that the guys before me had it even harder because the path wasn’t done. As this all culminates around Montreal 2026, it’s going to be interesting. We will have the juniors with us too. We’re going to have all the succession. It’s going to be the meeting of the year.
Shots to play in monuments?
In addition to Woods’ return to the Grande Boucle, the Israel-Premier Tech (IPT) team is preparing that of Derek Gee to the Tour of Italy, of which he was the revelation in 2023 with seven escapes, four 2nd places and two 4th place.
After its 2023 Tour, this time, IPT will aim for the general classification.
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Derek Gee will return to the Tour of Italy in 2024.
Photo : - / Benoit Roussel
It will be a completely different experience from 2023, Gee argued. I will have more concrete goals than then. I won’t be able to ride in the breakaway every day, but it will definitely be special to return to the Giro. The way I’m going to approach it will be totally different, but it will be more concrete in the sense that, if we go there for the general classification, we look more at the profile of the stages, the places where we are weaker, the stages which suits me more. We look at the entire work months in advance.
IPT’s other stated objective is a podium on one of the five cycling monuments which are Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Tour of Lombardy. The team never got there.
Woods, when he wore the EF Education First jersey, took 2nd place in Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2018. This Belgian classic is undoubtedly his favorite: he has participated in it eight times and finished it seven times, never lower than 12th in the rankings.
In my opinion, I believe I am still capable of making a podium, says Woods. A race like Liège-Bastogne-Liège or the Tour of Lombardy, it’s certain that it’s much harder, with a rider like [Tadej] Pogacar, to win. But at the same time, we have another rider like Stevie Williams who won the Flèche wallonne. And if I am not able to make a top 3, it is also my goal to help him in this objective.
IPT will also start the season in Australia in support of Williams, who will try to retain her crown at the Tour Down Under from January 16. Pier-André Côté will be there, he who indicated to his team that he wanted to be part of the great moments of the season, including the monuments, with the aim of being competitive there in the coming years.
I don’t see why we wouldn’t look for a monument podium, said Côté. We have the trajectory, the team has such good momentum, we have the wind in our sails. Just this year, Stevie winning a one day race, winning a World Tour stage race, those were the first two times that had happened for the team, so I think it’s very realistic to establish that as a goal for next year.
