As he crossed the finish line on Friday, Hugo Houle honored the memory of his brother who tragically died in December 2012.
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The cyclist has often spoken of this drama and expressed how much he would like to win a victory in honor of his brother Pierrik. The tremolo also appeared in his voice on Friday after coming so close to success.
“Of course I had a thought for my brother as I crossed the line. We were close and we will go back there,” he explained.
Photo taken from Facebook
Pierrik Holle
On December 21, 2012, Pierrik Houle was fatally hit by a drunk driver while jogging in the streets of the small community of Sainte-Perpétue in the Center-du-Québec region.
At the start of his first season on the big circuit with the AG2R team, Hugo had just returned from Spain a few hours ago. On stage, he held his brother’s hand as people tried to revive him.
A photo of him
The cyclist, who has a degree in police engineering, even yelled at the suspect, who was returning to the scene of the accident.
The driver, Guy Richard, has been charged with fatal collision, hit-and-run and driver incapacity resulting in death.
On May 27, 2015, the defendant received an 11-month prison sentence and a three-year ban from driving in the Drummondville courthouse. However, the perpetrator was released four months later, in October 2015.
Since then, Houle always has two photos in his suitcase: that of his girlfriend and that of his late brother.
Above
At all races, the cyclist always wears a small cross around his neck, which was blessed by the late Father Boulé, — former director of the Séminaire Saint–François, in Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures.
A stroke of fate, on Friday, July 15, 2013, the ninth anniversary of the death of the former educator.
“It’s true. It’s a great gift,” said the cyclist’s mother, Diane Allard.
“I hope that I can try again in the end. It motivates me. It’s my first WorldTour podium and it’s at the Tour de France. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved and I’m glad it’s getting people talking! added Houle, regaining her lovely confidence.
His teammates and friends in the peloton also congratulated the hero of the day. Before the end of the stage, the other Quebecers knew what was going on.
“We got the information from the radio. With five kilometers to go I went to Antoine Duchesne and won! He played the [victoire] at three ! I had goosebumps all over my body. He deserves it. I have the feeling that his tour is not over yet,” commented Guillaume Boivin.
“He played his cards well”
At Groupama-FDJ the other caribou was proud of his compatriot.
“We knew that [Mads] Pedersen was solid, he’s world champion. Just fighting for third place made us very happy. He played his cards well and will be beaten by two very strong guys. It’s a great result. That won’t happen to him ten times in his career,” said Antoine Duchesne.