Michael Woods (Israel Premier Tech): “I’m on cloud nine right now. My big goal was to win a race with [the Canadian champion jersey]. I’ve had a tough season this season. It’s been a tough race. And this is a big moment of catharsis, a big release. The pressure has been building and to get this win now, I’m on cloud nine. I was super lucky to get in the breakaway with Dylan [Teuns] and Riley Sheehan. They did a great job. I was a bit isolated later on when UAE had Jay Vine, Brandon McNulty and Marc Soler attacking me. When Brandon and Jay crashed, it really scared me. I hope they’re okay. Then I knew I was the guy to beat on the climb. I had the Puy-de-Dôme in my head. I knew that as long as I had the guys within striking distance I had a shot at winning because the climb really suited me. I didn’t want to go as early as Mauro [Schmid] did but then I had to. It was a long 4 kilometres to be alone. I just miss the Giro stage. 3rd Vuelta stage, I’m really proud of that. I’m not getting any younger, so it’s always nice to win at this age and I’m gonna savour this.”
