Houle wins in Foix and it is Canada that pitches

The weather was not really Quebec, but the Belle Province is likely to remember this hot Tuesday, July 19, 2022 in Foix (Ariège) for a long time. Hugo Houle won the 16^e stage of a Tour de France crushed by heat enough to make you want to throw yourself headlong into the Ariège river. The Israel-Premier Tech rider brings Canada his second victory on the Grande Boucle, after that of the pioneer Steve Bauer in Machecoul (Loire-Atlantique), in 1988.

On arrival, his compatriot and teammate Michael Woods was so moved that he forgot the prize list of his friend, twice Canadian champion in the individual time trial (in 2015 and 2021). “Hugo was so happy, it’s his first professional game”slipped on 3^e of the day. We see the idea. At 31, Houle had never lifted his arms in a road race and he chose his day and his race well.

Yet when he went on a breakaway with 28 other riders, no one would have bet a Canadian dollar on him. The Quebec rider arrived a few seconds ahead at the foot of the Mur de Péguère, the last difficulty of the day about thirty kilometers from the finish, but his chances seemed slim. Hugo Houle nevertheless achieved the feat of resisting the vertiginous percentages of this climb and the return of the best climbers to dive towards Foix and the greatest happiness of his career.

A tragic personal story

“Originally that was all for Michael Woods, today”confides Rik Verbrugghe, the manager of the Israeli team. “It’s often the second-row riders who have the best luck in a breakaway like the one we had. She was so tall that we looked at each other. They are more opportunisticrecognizes Michael Woods, far from being unhappy to have sacrificed his chances. “We have raced well as a team since the start of this Tour, with the victory of Simon Clarke [à Arenberg], the 3^e Froome Square [à l’Alpe d’Huez] and Hugo who was already third last week [à Saint-Etienne]… This is the icing on the cake “, continues the native of Toronto.

The victory of the Canadian also had the gift of giving a smile to Julien Jurdie, the sports director of an AG2R Citroën team yet very badly embarked after two new withdrawals in its ranks due to Covid and now reduced to three riders. “We discovered it and launched it at home on the World Tour”, told a Jurdie with sincere emotion when talking about his “Hugo”. ” When he was with me, he was more into the Flandrian classics, he wasn’t so sharp, he says with a burst of laughter. He deserves it so much. He is a warm boy with a difficult history. »

? Hugo Houle raises his arms in Foix! Author of a sharp attack nearly 40 kilometers from the finish, the Canadian… https://t.co/z87PM0j3g9

— Eurosport_FR (@Eurosport France)

Terrible even. His brother Pierrick died in 2012, knocked down by a driver who fled. Hugo Houle will also tell, on the verge of tears, that he had promised himself to win a race that he and his brother were watching together. ” I’m sure my brother helped me win.” said the one whose finger raised to the sky as he crossed the finish line was an obvious message.

Pogacar tried again

Out of Canadian annals, today’s stage proved that Tadej Pogacar (UAE-Emirates) was a man of his word. “I have to take every chance on every climb, I have to try to attack, go as hard as possible on the hills and try to save time every day”, had warned the Slovenian, Monday, during the day of rest.

This first act of the Pyrenean Trinity on the menu of this Tour, 178.5 kilometers between Carcassonne (Aude) and Foix (Ariège), was not the most complicated to negotiate. However, he offered great opportunities to reduce this gap of 2 minutes 22 a little, this small gap between him and the yellow jersey, Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma).

So “Pogi” tried. Thrice. Two a few kilometers from the top of the port of Lers, the penultimate difficulty of the day. The third at the beginning of the descent. Without ever managing to get rid of the Dane, so in his wheel that we sometimes came to no longer see him. In the Wall of Péguère, Pogacar put the faithful Rafal Majka to the board, but when the Pole took his shoes off, his leader must have thought that it was perhaps not the day to overthrow the Tour.

First French in the general classification this morning (4^e at 3 minutes 01), Romain Bardet lived “one of the worst days in a long time”. Without really being able to find an explanation. Adrift in the last climb, the DSM team rider lost 3 minutes 30 overall and is now in 9th^e square.

But the biggest ordeal of the day was that of Marc Soler. The UAE-Emirates Spaniard, who suffered from stomach aches, vomiting and frequent visits to the medical vehicle, arrived alone 57 minutes and 6 seconds after Hugo Houle. Out of time. Tadej Pogacar loses a new teammate (the third) in his quest for yellow.