In first race since April, Michael Woods is CIC-Mont Ventoux runner-up

One doesn’t know if this is his warmup for the Tour de France instead of the traditional Critérium du Dauphiné or Tour de Suisse, but nonetheless Michael Woods placed runner-up to Lenny Martinez in Tuesday’s one day, 1.Pro-rated CIC-Mont Ventoux. It was Woods’ first race since abandoning the Tour de Romandie in April.

Sur la plus haute marche d'un des sommets les plus mythiques ? pic.twitter.com/uJ9GsEuZGG

— Équipe Cycliste Groupama-FDJ (@GroupamaFDJ) June 13, 2023

The Course

Bad weather meant that the original 153-km, double Mont Ventoux ascent was chopped down to 98 km, with the race ending after the first, milder ascent of Ventoux. From the less-demanding side, the climb was 24.5 km at 4.9 percent.

With the course now shortened due to bad weather conditions, the CIC Mont Ventoux Challenge should be ferocious from the start, with riders wanting to put the hurt on before the one and only ascent of Mont Ventoux.

?Vaison-La-Romain
?Mont Ventoux
?3000m+
?️97.3km
—… pic.twitter.com/pDU0kRLdWV

— Israel – Premier Tech (@IsraelPremTech) June 13, 2023

Five riders bounced clear before the first climb of the day, the Col de la Madeleine. By Mont Ventoux, only a single fugitive remained. Movistar had taken over the pace of the peloton from Israel-Premier Tech and reduced it to about 50 riders.

An attack by Cristián Rodríguez of Arkéa-Samsic with 4.5 km to climb made a further selection. Woods, Martinez, Simon Carr, Domenico Pozzovivo and Ivan Sosa all made the gang. But it would be 19-year-old Martinez who claimed the day’s flowers. Martinez joins the ranks of other CIC-Mont Ventoux winners like Angel Lopez, Alexandr Vlasov, Ruben Guerreiro and Jesus Herrada. He won’t get to race the Tour de France, but will get his chance at the Vuelta a Espana in August.

2023 CIC-Mont Ventoux
1) Lenny Martinez (France/Groupama-FDJ) 2:48:41
2) Michael Woods (Canada/Israel-Premier Tech) +0:01
3) Simon Carr (Great Britain/EF Education-Easypost) s.t.