"I knew I was the man to beat on that climb" - Michael Woods turns bad season around with brilliant Vuelta victory

Michael Woods won the Canadian national championships this year and that is a career highlight, but besides that result he has not managed to be at the front this year. It comes as a huge relief to finally win again at the highest level, taking the win from the breakaway today in a group that was very strong and attacked from far away.

"I've had a tough season, with a lot of illness. The races were also difficult, in terms of bad luck. I often had mechanical problems and crashes at bad times. This is a moment of great relief," Woods admitted in a post-race interview. "The pressure was building. The fact that I'm winning now is great." Woods is one of the several cards for Israel - Premier Tech at this race to chase stage wins and today he got himself in the right group.

“I was lucky to be in the breakaway with Dylan [Teuns] and Riley Sheehan. They did a great job getting me into that group," he thanks. 23 riders and some rolling terrain until the final ascent. “Then I was isolated and Jay Vine, Brandon McNulty and Marc Soler attacked me. I kept fighting with them. When Jay and Brandon fell, I was really shocked. I hope they are OK. After that I knew I was the man to beat on that climb.”

Only five riders arrived at Puerto de Ancares at the front of the race; and if Woods had survived until that point, it was already clear that he was on a great day. The veteran entered the climb with some climbers and classics riders, in an ultra-steep ascent that fits his style to perfection - just as was the case with his Tour de France victory in Puy de Dôme.

“I knew with the Puy-de-Dôme in the back of my mind that I had a chance, as long as I kept the other riders within shooting range until the final climb, because it was a good climb for me. But I didn't really want to go that early, but Mauro [Schmid] went early, so I had to go. Then it was four long kilometers," he explains.

It was a long attack but as soon as he hit the front, he dropped the Swiss rider and also all others. He rode for a hard-earned but comfortable victory in the final ascent. "I still need a Giro stage, yes. But this is my third Vuelta stage win. I'm very proud of that, because I'm not getting any younger. It's always nice to win at this age," he concluded.