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Legend of the Puy de Dôme: Michael Woods becomes third Canadian to win a Tour de France stage

Rusty times final attack to perfection

Photo by: Sirotti
July 9, 2023
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Michael Woods bided his time and made his effort at exactly the right time, winning on Sunday’s stage of the Tour de France and conquering Puy de Dôme, a steep dome-shaped volcanic plug in the Massif Central that returned to the race after 35 years. Woods is only the third Canadian to win a stage of the Tour de France and does so a year after his compatiot and teammate Hugo Houle was the second, with Steve Bauer the first. (Svein Tuft and Ryder Hesjedal have also taken wins in TTT stages at the 2013 and 2011 editions, respectively.) Woods took his third Grand Tour stage triumph after emerging from a breakaway also containing Guillaume Boivin. In the GC battle, Tadej Pogačar took back a little time on the yellow jersey Jonas Vingegaard.

The Course

There were four categorized climbs along the 182-km route from Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat to Puy de Dôme, but only the last one was crucial. The scene of an iconic side-by-side 1964 battle between Raymond Poulidor and Jacques Anquetil, this HC-rated climb was 12.6 km of 7.8 percent, its final 4 km over 11 percent as the narrow road skirted up the lava dome. There were no fans allowed on the dome.

Two Canadians, Guillaume Boivin and Michael Woods, were part of the 14-strong breakaway that formed early in the day and rolled up 9:00 by the 44 km mark. Nine teams were represented. Polka-dot-clad Neilson Powless was along to gobble up KOM points.

Powless plucked the single KOM points from atop Cat. 4s Côte de Felletin and Côte de Pontcharraud. Just before the penultimate climb, Cat. 3 Côte de Pontaumur, Boivin made a surprising attack that survived until the lower slopes.

Boivin attacks his breakmates, goin’ long.

When Powless took the maximum points the breakaway’s gap was 12:00. The Puy de Dôme conquerer was in the break.

Woods was part of a quintet that flared off the front after the penultimate climb. Weaker climbers wanted to hit the foot of the big climb with an advantage. After several accelerations, Boivin was dropped.

On a long uncategorized climb Matteo Jorgenson became the solo fugitive, with Woods and eleven others playing clever games 20 seconds behind. With 35 km to go, Woods was in Group 3, a minute behind Movistar’s American. Powless, Matej Mohoric, David de la Cruz and Mathieu Burgaudeau made up Group 2.

Puy de Dôme

Jorgenson was a minute ahead of his compatriot Powless, a Slovenian and a Frenchman by the start of the climb. De la Cruz was back with Woods and company. For the first couple of kilometers the gaps stayed the same, even the 15:00 back to the yellow jersey.

The American reached the strangely silent, steep spiraling road with 1:15 over the KOM, 2:15 in front of Woods’ group and 14:30 ahead of the bunch. Woods tried to bridge over.

Back in the peloton, Jumbo-Visma’s Wilco Kelderman pulled. Eleventh-place Ben O’Connor was dropped early.

Woods started to pick off riders in between himself and Jorgenson with 2.5 km to climb beside the rack railway. Mohoric and Woods were closing in on the American. Down the road, UAE-Emirates and Jumbo-Visma swapped the front.

Sepp Kuss attacked, taking Vingegaard, Tadej Pogačar, Jai Hindley and a few others were able to follow.

Woods passed Mohoric.

Woods passes Mohoric, closes in on Jorgenson.

Woods dispatched Jorgenson with 400 meters to go and took the famous victory.

An exhausted but triumphant Canadian atop Puy de Dome.

After the finish, Woods said, “I’m still having a pinch myself moment. I can’t believe I did it. I’m really proud of myself and proud of my team. It’s special.”

The Slovenian attacked on the steepest part of the climb and took eight seconds back on the yellow jersey. Thomas Pidcock, Carlos Rodriguez and Simon Yates finished soon after the Dane.

Monday is the first well-deserved rest day.

2023 Tour de France Stage 9
1) Michael Woods (Canada/Israel-Premier Tech) 4:19:41
2) Pierre Latour (France/TotalEnergies) +0:28
3) Matej Mohoric (Slovenia/Bahrain-Victorious) +0:34

2023 Tour de France GC
1) Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark/Jumbo-Visma) 38:37:38
2) Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia/UAE-Emirates) +0:17
3) Jai Hindley (Australia/Bora-Hansgrohe) +2:40
22) Michael Woods (Canada/Israel-Premier Tech) +19:39