On Friday afternoon, Ottawa’s Michael Woods gained the mountainous thirteenth stage of the Spanish Grand Tour, the Vuelta a España, in gorgeous style. Woods wore a personalized Canadian nationwide champion jersey, designed by Israel-Premier Tech and Ekoi as a tribute to the enduring 1996 Atlanta Olympic Crew Canada observe and area package.
Woods established himself in a breakaway early within the stage and dropped the opposite riders to complete the 176-kilometre (109-mile) route from Lugo, Spain, to Puerto de Ancares 45 seconds forward of runner-up Mauro Schmid of Switzerland. This victory marks the third profession stage win on the Vuelta a España for Woods.
The distinctive Canada jersey Woods wore has a particular story behind it. After profitable the Canadian nationwide championships highway race earlier this summer season, Woods was requested by his professional crew, Israel-Premier Tech, about his preferences for his nationwide champion package. Woods requested a nostalgic design that captured the essence of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic observe and the texture of an old-school Crew Canada hockey jersey. The consequence was a jersey that Woods proudly showcased throughout his Vuelta stage win.
Former Canadian observe star Michael Woods wins Tour de France stage
Woods stated on his Instagram that he was thrilled with how the jersey turned out.
The 1996 Canada package holds a particular place in Canadian sports activities historical past, famously worn by dash icon Donovan Bailey and the lads’s 4x100m relay crew, who each gained gold in Atlanta. Bailey’s efficiency, the place he set a brand new world file of 9.84 seconds, solidified his place as solely the second Canadian sprinter to win the lads’s 100m at an Olympic Video games. The pink slashed maple leaf on the jersey pays homage to the 1991 Canada Cup Crew Canada ice hockey jersey.
Earlier than transitioning to professional biking, Woods had a profitable profession in different sports activities. He grew up enjoying hockey and excelled in observe and area, profitable a gold medal within the 1,500m on the 2005 Pan American Junior Championships. He’s additionally one of many few Canadian males to have run a sub-four-minute mile. Woods attended the College of Michigan on a observe scholarship, and after graduating in 2008, he turned his focus to biking.
