Woods ready to test early season mettle in UAE
Canadian runner-turned-cyclist Michael Woods targeting Abu Dhabi Tour queen stage against the best climbers in the world
by Aaron S. Lee
ABU DHABI — For former elite distance runner Michael Woods, the road to the top of professional men’s cycling has not been without it’s obstacles. However, now five years removed since his cycling debut with Canadian-registered UCI Continental team Garneau-Quebecor, the 31-year-old Ottawa native is ready to take the reins of the new-look (and named) US-based WorldTour team — EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale — in 2018.
With more than 80 days competing at the sport’s highest level last year, the 2015 Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah stage winner is making no secret that this is his time to shine given the lessons learned from half a decade of racing bicycles.
“Last year was a great season for me and the big goal from the [previous] year was to focus on consistency, and I think I really managed to do that,” Woods told Canadian Cycling Magazine. “I had 82 WorldTour race days last year. Obviously not all of them I hit it out of the park, but a lot of them I had a lot of success and that was my big goal based on the previous season where I had a lot of failures.”
The success Woods speaks of started after finishing 11th at Flèche Wallonne (UCI 1.UWT) on April 19, followed by a top 10 (ninth) at Liège-Bastogne-Liège (1.UWT) four days later. He then went on to claim two fifth-place results and a ninth in his first ever Grand Tour appearance — the Giro d’Italia (2.UWT) in May.
Woods improved yet again at his second Grand Tour outing, capturing third-, sixth- and seventh-place stage results en route to a top 10 (seventh) on the final general classification and on points (ninth) to wrap his season.
“I am really fortunate,” admitted Woods. “A lot of teams wouldn’t [have] picked me when I first came into the WorldTour. [Team manager] Jonathan Vaughters had a lot of belief in me and so did [sports director] Charly Wegelius … all the directors and staff really believe in me and really fostered my talent. And that support and belief has really built my confidence.
“I am pretty confident coming into this race,” he said of the Abu Dhabi Tour (2.UWT). “Obviously at the start of the season, you can never really truly know how you are going to stack up. But it’s nice confidence to have when you know the confidence of the team is behind you.”
Canadian @rusty_woods talked to @Eurosport & @CanadianCycling prior to opener of @Abu_Dhabi_Tour today to discuss @RideArgyle’s new pink kit, his team’s support & plans for this week’s WorldTour race | via @Eurosport_UK @EurosportAUS @EurosportAsia #homeofcycling #RideToAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/aGvYXa7vjk
— Aaron S. Lee (@aaronshanelee) February 21, 2018
Now clad in bright pink and Cannondale green, which he says makes it easy to identify teammates during a race, Woods is turning his attention toward the first hit-out of the season — a five-day WorldTour stage race in the Middle East.
With the Abu Dhabi Tour already under way with two sprint stages done and dusted — and one to go — only Saturday’s penultimate stage time trial (12.6km) and Sunday’s queen stage finale remain for Woods to make an immediate impact.
“I’m focusing on the last day — a good climb,” Woods said referring to the 10.5km uphill finish to Jebel Hafeet, which features average gradients in the final 3km of eight to nine percent and a max of 11. “I think it will determine the race. I’m not sure if I will be in the GC hunt but definitely I want to kind of test my legs and see how I stack up against the climbers at this point in the season.”
Aaron S. Lee (@aaronshanelee) is a cycling and triathlon columnist for Eurosport and a guest contributor to Canadian Cycling Magazine.
