Michael Woods will ride with Israel-Premier Tech for two more years

Michael Woods will ride with Israel-Premier Tech for two more years. The rider from Ottawa confirmed the extension with Canadian Cycling Magazine in a message sent on Wednesday. His signing means that the ProTeam will include five Canadians in 2024: Woods, Derek Gee, Guillaume Boivin, Hugo Houle and Riley Pickrell.

Woods is the UCI’s 47th ranked male rider, Israel-Premier Tech’s top-ranked fellow, the top-ranked Canadian and the fourth-ranked North American. His 2023 season was arguably his greatest, as the 37 year old won Stage 3 and the GC of the La Route d’Occitanie-La Dépêche du Midi for the second consecutive year, and, most importantly, earned a brilliant Tour de France stage victory on the brutal Puy de Dôme. Woods’ triumph came one year after teammate Houle took a famous, emotional stage victory, the first for a Canadian since 1988.

𝗠𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦 𝗢𝗙 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣3️⃣: @rusty_woods wins on @LeTour's return to Puy-de-Dôme ⛰️

🗣️ "Winning a stage in the Tour is something I’ve always wanted to do. I finally did it!"#IsraelRidesOn #YallaIPT

— Israel – Premier Tech (@IsraelPremTech) November 15, 2023

Woods has been with Israel-Premier Tech since transferring from EF Pro Cycling in 2021. He has chalked up eight victories for the squad over three years, including Stage 4 of the 2021 Tour de Romandie, which put him in the lead of the WorldTour stage race. His La Flèche Wallonne record in that time impresses: fourth in 2021, sixth in 2022 and fourth this season. His final result of 2023 was 12th in Il Lombardia, a Monument in which he has placed fifth and ninth.