On Friday afternoon, Ottawa’s Michael Woods received the mountainous thirteenth stage of the Spanish Grand Tour, the Vuelta a España, in gorgeous style. Woods wore a custom-made Canadian nationwide champion jersey, designed by Israel-Premier Tech and Ekoi as a tribute to the enduring 1996 Atlanta Olympic Workforce Canada observe and subject package.
Woods established himself in a breakaway early within the stage and dropped the opposite riders to complete the 176-kilometre (109-mile) route from Lugo, Spain, to Puerto de Ancares 45 seconds forward of runner-up Mauro Schmid of Switzerland. This victory marks the third profession stage win on the Vuelta a España for Woods.
The distinctive Canada jersey Woods wore has a particular story behind it. After profitable the Canadian nationwide championships street race earlier this summer season, Woods was requested by his professional crew, Israel-Premier Tech, about his preferences for his nationwide champion package. Woods requested a nostalgic design that captured the essence of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic observe and the texture of an old-school Workforce Canada hockey jersey. The outcome was a jersey that Woods proudly showcased throughout his Vuelta stage win.
Former Canadian observe star Michael Woods wins Tour de France stage
Woods mentioned on his Instagram that he was thrilled with how the jersey turned out.
The 1996 Canada package holds a particular place in Canadian sports activities historical past, famously worn by dash icon Donovan Bailey and the boys’s 4x100m relay crew, who each received gold in Atlanta. Bailey’s efficiency, the place he set a brand new world report of 9.84 seconds, solidified his place as solely the second Canadian sprinter to win the boys’s 100m at an Olympic Video games. The crimson slashed maple leaf on the jersey pays homage to the 1991 Canada Cup Workforce Canada ice hockey jersey.
Earlier than transitioning to professional biking, Woods had a profitable profession in different sports activities. He grew up enjoying hockey and excelled in observe and subject, profitable a gold medal within the 1,500m on the 2005 Pan American Junior Championships. He’s additionally one of many few Canadian males to have run a sub-four-minute mile. Woods attended the College of Michigan on a observe scholarship, and after graduating in 2008, he turned his focus to biking.