Despite a great performance from his Israel Premier Tech team, Canadian Michael Woods was clearly disappointed not to be able to fight for victory.
His 15th place finish, 55 seconds behind Yates, is not what he had announced during the week. The 36-year-old cyclist really wanted to win this title in front of his family.
The trophy for the best Canadian didn’t even seem like a consolation prize in his case. After his appearance on the podium, he did not appear in the press room.
Woods admitted he had been waiting for this race for months. “I’m really disappointed with the result and expected something better. I felt good despite the bad weather. “Unfortunately I just didn’t have the legs on the last lap,” he admitted.
Guillaume Boivin didn’t have a great day either, even though he worked a lot for his leader. After retiring, Boivin was able to spend some family time with his brother and father and watch the finish of the race from the side of the road.
“We wanted to make sure we avoided problems with the rain. This is a good way to control the race and stay safe and healthy. It’s another stress. For me personally it wasn’t my best day. It’s not my biggest race. I made the most of what I had.”
Hugo Houle was somewhat stunned by the cold and was unable to reach the finish. With about 20 kilometers to go, he politely waved to the cheering crowd.
“My job was to control the start so as not to suffer any big hits. It was very challenging. Daryl Impey wanted to ride to stay ahead. He was motivated for his last race. When Trek and Quick-Step joined in, they increased the pace. We were a little upset. After five hours I got cramps. I had reached my limit. I couldn’t do better.
While the lineup was hoping for much better in Montreal, the week’s results aren’t so bad, with a podium in Quebec and clear visibility in the metropolis test.
“It doesn’t work every day. I am proud of the developing team. I’m not at my best, but it’s been a long time since I’ve done a race longer than five hours. It’s a mix of emotions.”
All around the track, spectators praised the courage of Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe, who ended up fighting like a lion not to be defeated.
“It’s fun. It’s a good feeling to know that I’m in the lead in such a tough race. It’s not about winning yet, but I hope soon.”
As for the Canadian team, veteran Pier-André Côté and the team’s rookies also failed to finish the event.