Hugo Houle prepares for spring schedule

Ag2r-La Mondiale’s Canadian Hugo Houle has a bit of a different spring line-up for 2016, as he concentrates on Spring Classics and the Tour of California in a bid to represent Canada at the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics. In December, Houle prepared for the season at Ag2r-La Mondiale’s training camp in Spain.

Instead of riding the Tour de San Luis in Argentina, where he was 61st last season, Houle will hit the Stage Gandia in late January before assailing the Tours of Qatar and Oman in February.

Houle’s first Flanders Classics are Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne in late February before facing the sterrati of Strade Bianche on March 2.

He’ll see one more stage race, Tirreno-Adriatico, or The Race of Two Seas, and stay in Italy for Milan-San Remo before the big Flemish Cycling Week: E3 Harelbeke, Gent-Wevelgem and the Tour of Flanders from March 25 to April 3. Last year Houle cracked the top 100 of the Tour of Flanders, his best Monument Classics result.

Things don’t get much easier the next week at the Hell of the North, Houle’s fourth Paris-Roubaix.

Houle will then ready himself for May’s Tour of California with the Tour du Finistère, Tro-Bro Léon, and Tour of Dunkirk.

It will be Houle’s second Tour of California—in 2012 he placed 74th on GC with a 7th on Stage 3 his best placing.

Houle hopes to get the call from Cycling Canada in June for Rio. His schedule serves Ag2r-La Mondiale’s needs but doesn’t leave Houle too depleted for the selection. Last year, Houle rode his first Grand Tour in the Giro d’Italia, where he was 113th.

Hugo Houle’s Race Schedule: February to May 2016