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Michael Woods’ Israel Start-up Nation era begins at the Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var

Hugo Houle will also start his 2021 at the three-stage race

Photo by: Courtesy of Israel Start-up Nation, noA Toledo Arnon
February 16, 2021
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Michael Woods’ first race with Israel Start-up Nation begins Friday at the three-stage, 2.1-rated Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var in France, according to a schedule he posted on his Instagram.

Astana-Premier Tech announced its Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var lineup on Tuesday, and Canadian Hugo Houle will make his 2021 debut in the race.

Like the Tour de la Province, which wrapped up four stages on Sunday boasting a final podium of Ivan Sosa, world champion Julian Alaphilippe and Egan Bernal, the Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var is attracting some heavy hitters out swinging early in the season. Woods and Dan Martin head up ISUN, while Trek-Segafredo offers Vincenzo Nibali and Bauke Mollema. Ineos Grenadiers continue to flash its reinforced ranks by sending Geraint Thomas, Giro d’Italia champ Tao Geoghegan Hart, Pavel Sivakov and Tim Pidcock, who, like Woods, is also debuting for his new squad.

Woods’ posted schedule has him hanging around in France for two one-day races, the Faun-Ardèche Classic and Royal Bernard Drome Classic in the last two days of February before heading to Italy for his first WorldTour contests of the season: Strade Bianche and Tirreno-Adriatico. Before the Ardennes Classics, he will head to Spain for his second 2021 WorldTour race, Itzulia Basque Country. The road to the Tour de France heads through the Tour de Romandie and the Critérium du Dauphiné. Woods is also a Tokyo Olympic Games aspirant.

Right now Houle is penciled in for WorldTour one-day races like E3 Saxo Bank Classic, once known as E3 BinckBank Classic and Record Bank E3 Harelbeke before that, Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields, Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Tour of Flanders before Paris-Roubaix on April 11.

Woods’ teammate Guillaume Boivin was the first Canadian to race in Europe this season; he placed 75th in the 2.1-rated Etoile de Bessèges-Tour du Gard in the early part of the month. Other ISUN Canucks Alex Cataford and James Piccoli currently don’t have any races scheduled, nor does Groupama-FDJ’s Antoine “Tony the Tiger” Duchesne. Houle’s teammate and compatriot Ben Perry gets the nod for the WorldTour opener UAE Tour starting February 21 before Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne on the 28th.