Michael Woods: "When I found out we would be doing this climb, I was excited because I knew it suited me"

Israel - Premier Tech have net their first win of the season today in one of the toughest climbs of this early season. Michael Woods has reached the age of 35 but is having no indicator of slowing down as he took an impressive stage at Gran Camiño. The Canadian recovered from illness that saw him withdraw from the Vuelta a Andalucia and is back on full force.

“I’m very happy and relieved. It’s really important to get a win early in the season, both for myself and the team. I’ve had a lot of close finishes over the last few months but not many wins. So it’s nice to finally get another one under my belt. I went to the Ruta del Sol last week hoping to get a result because I was in good shape. Then I got sick and spent the last week worrying about my form, hoping to have the legs I had before I got sick. I think I did,” Woods said in a post-race interview.

The second stage of the Gran Camiño was hilly but all the focus was put on the final ascent to one of the steepest muritos in Spain, and one of the Vuelta a España's most iconic climbs. Woods didn't enter the climb perfectly well positioned but rode up the group in the ascent's first half, before making a move in the steepest ramps of the climb. At that gradient riders were just surviving, but Woods is known for his prowess in incredibly steep climbs and once again has shown his ability.

“I did this climb in the 2020 Vuelta time trial and I thought to myself it would be amazing if we finished up here. When I found out we would be doing this climb, I was excited because I knew it suited me. I knew I wanted to attack with 800 meters to go, because it was the steepest section. If I was able to get some separation, I would go all the way to the line and if not, I would wait for the sprint," Woods concluded. Despite being in close range of Alejandro Valverde and Iván Sosa for a while, the Canadian increased his lead in the final minutes of the ascent. Tomorrow he will have the queen stage that will see three climbs of much longer duration towards the end of the stage in Luintra.