The Tour de France is the pinnacle event of the cycling calendar, with this world-famous event being one that many continue to look out for from all around the world, including in Canada.
Indeed, with a couple of riders set to represent the Maple Leaf Country in this year’s event, July 1 can not come quick enough for fans as they are excited to see what happens and to see whether the trio that is set to compete can bring some pride to the nation.
In this article, we will take a look at each of the three riders set to compete in the 2022 Tour de France, and look to try and provide you with an insight into each rider and what could be expected. Additionally, we will also look to try and provide you with a look back through Canadian history in regard to this prestigious cycling tour event, too!
Three Canadian riders set to represent the country in the 2022 Tour De France
As highlighted, Canada will be represented in the upcoming tour event, with three cyclists set to don the lycra and spandex as they compete for the teams that they represent in the hopes of having a successful tournament from a team and a personal perspective.
Chris Froome will be at the Tour de France. https://t.co/a0i6jEI5SW@IsraelPremTech for #TDF2022:
Chris Froome 🇬🇧
Jakob Fuglsang 🇩🇰
Michael Woods 🇨🇦
Daryl Impey 🇿🇦
Simon Clarke 🇦🇺
Hugo Houle 🇨🇦
Krists Neilands 🇱🇻
Omer Goldstein 🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/3j7f440Oqo— CyclingTips (@cyclingtips) June 22, 2022
So, who are the three riders set to take to the roads of France (and Denmark) throughout July? They are:
- Hugo Houle (Israel-Premier Tech)
- Michael Woods (Israel-Premier Tech)
- Antoine Duchesne (Goupama-FDJ)
As it can be seen, two of the riders will be on the same team and competing together, while Duchesne will be the only Canadian not to be with a compatriot. Let’s take a look at each of these riders set to take part in the prestigious race in a little more detail.
Antoine Duchesne
Let’s begin with the sole rider, Antoine Duchesne. He has been a part of the FDJ team since 2018, however, this year’s Tour de France will be the very first that he has competed in for the team. In fact, he has only ever competed in this particular event on one occasion. This was in 2016 when he was part of Team Europcar and he placed 107th.
Duchesne has only had a few Grand Tour events in his professional career to date, with the Giro d’Italia in 2021 being the most recent one to have been competed in. He finished this event in 115th.
Michael Woods
The 35-year-old Michael Woods is another rider who has some experience of competing in the Tour de France, although his results have been mixed. He finished a respectable 32nd in the 2019 edition, but obtained a DNF (did not finish) in the 2021 race event for his current team – EF Education First.
Nonetheless, it would seem that there are some that believe that he could be the best chance of success for Canadian racers, with a number of sportsbooks seemingly highlighting this with the odds that they have provided.
Indeed, Ontario local Michael Woods is favored in Ontario sports betting sites and punters are already able to get a number of good valued bets that they can place on him should they wish to.
One of the many reasons why he might be favored is due to his record in Grand Tours, with the experienced cyclist having been able to finish as high as 7th in the past; in the 2017 Vuelta a Espana event, as well as high as 19th in the 2018 Giro d’Italia.
Naturally, with that kind of experience, it would not be a surprise to see him do well, although the recent DNF in last year’s event may be something of a consideration.
Hugo Houle
Hugo Houle is an experienced Tour de France rider, having competed in the last three editions of the event. Those events came as part of the Astana team, where he finished 91st (2019), 47th (2020), and 66th (2021).
This year’s race will be the first one that he has competed in for Israel-Premier Tech, having recently only signed for the team earlier this year on a three-year contract.
How well have Canadians performed in the Tour de France?
Canada has not had a great history when it comes down to success in the Tour de France, however that does not mean that they have not been able to enjoy some over the years.
Ryder Hesjedal was one individual who managed to achieve some success in the competition, perhaps also being the most successful to come from the Maple Leaf Country. The rider managed to come fifth overall in the 2010 event as he rode for the Slipstream-Chipotle team. A year later, he was on tghe squad that won the Stage 2 team time trial (TTT) race; an event in which teams compete against a clock.
He’s had a lot more of his success with the Giro d’Italia, where he finished first in 2012, before placing ninth and fifth in 2014 and 2015 respectively.
Hesjedal became the first rider from the North American nation to win a stage at the Tour de France since 1988 when Steve Bauer was the last person to have been able to win an individual stage in that year’s event.
Bauer had a career year in 1988, as he placed fourth in the overall standings of the Grand Tour event, after being first in Stage 1. He also held the yellow jersey following Stage 1 and through Stages 8 to 11, while holding the green jersey between Stages 1 and 2.
Moreover, in 1990 he managed to hold the yellow jersey between Stages 1-9, thus highlighting just how accomplished he was at road racing.
What will the 2022 Tour de France be like for the Canadians?
Of course, with July 1 rapidly approaching us, there will be many wondering what the future holds for the trio of Canadians set to compete in the upcoming tour and whether they will be able to achieve any success while on the road.
Naturally, finishing the event may be considered a fine accomplishment, but you can guarantee each of them will be wanting to do as good as they can, especially with the support of Canada on their shoulders fully behind them!
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