On Friday afternoon, Ottawa’s Michael Woods received the mountainous thirteenth degree of the Spanish Grand Excursion, the Vuelta a España, in surprising style. Woods wore a custom designed Canadian nationwide champion jersey, designed by means of Israel-Premier Tech and Ekoi as a tribute to the long-lasting 1996 Atlanta Olympic Workforce Canada observe and box equipment.
Woods established himself in a breakaway early within the degree and dropped the opposite riders to complete the 176-kilometre (109-mile) path from Lugo, Spain, to Puerto de Ancares 45 seconds forward of runner-up Mauro Schmid of Switzerland. This victory marks the 3rd occupation degree win on the Vuelta a España for Woods.
The original Canada jersey Woods wore has a unique tale in the back of it. After profitable the Canadian nationwide championships highway race previous this summer time, Woods was once requested by means of his professional workforce, Israel-Premier Tech, about his personal tastes for his nationwide champion equipment. Woods asked 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 end result was once a jersey that Woods proudly showcased all the way through his Vuelta degree win.
Former Canadian observe superstar Michael Woods wins Excursion de France degree
Woods mentioned on his Instagram that he was once extremely joyful with how the jersey grew to become out.
The 1996 Canada equipment holds a unique position in Canadian sports activities historical past, famously worn by means of dash icon Donovan Bailey and the boys’s 4x100m relay workforce, who each received gold in Atlanta. Bailey’s efficiency, the place he set a brand new global document of 9.84 seconds, solidified his position as handiest the second one Canadian sprinter to win the boys’s 100m at an Olympic Video games. The pink slashed maple leaf at the jersey can pay homage to the 1991 Canada Cup Workforce Canada ice hockey jersey.
Prior to transitioning to professional biking, Woods had a a success occupation in different sports activities. He grew up enjoying hockey and excelled in observe and box, profitable a gold medal within the 1,500m on the 2005 Pan American Junior Championships. He’s additionally some of the 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 grew to become his focal point to biking.