Canada’s Men in the Worldtour
In December, Svein Tuft was getting in base miles in a very “Tuftian” way: he rode from his home in Andorra to Varese, Italy to attend an Orica-scott team camp. The ride was more than 1,000 km. “I had some rough days on the coast,” he said, “and two days into a block headwind. But, otherwise, awesome trip.” At that camp, he and the team directors worked out a plan for the Langley, B.C. rider for the first half of 2017. In February, there will be a training camp in South Africa so Tuft can do some riding at altitude. His first race will be Strade Bianche in March on the white gravel roads around Siena, Italy. Then, later that month, he’ll ride the Volta a Catalunya, a seven-day stage race in northeastern Spain, not from from where he lives. There will be some Ardennes Classics and the Tour de Yorkshire. In May, Tuft plans to return to the Giro d’italia for the seventh time. “This is what we know so far as many things can happen between now and then,” he said. “I’m very happy with the program as it’s quite different from the other seasons. It’s nice to have a change when you have been racing as long as I have.” This year marks Tuft’s sixth year with the Greenedge cycling project and his eighth year riding in the Worldtour.
At 26, Hugo Houle is the second-most senior Canadian in the Worldtour after Tuft. Houle joined Ag2r-la Mondiale for the 2013 season after Spidertech folded and has been with the French team ever since. As he heads into his fifth Worldtour season, his ambitions seem to be growing with his experience. He wants to continue to develop as a time triallist. In 2016, he was 29th in the individual time trial at the world championships. In 2017, he’s hoping to be in the top-15 or even top-10. “If I compare my watts on Strava with a few riders from this past world championships, the power is there,” he said.
Early in 2017, he expects to be racing in the Spring Classics. “I’m still young, but I have a lot of experience in the Classics,” he said. He’ll likely be protecting and positioning riders such as Oliver Naesen and Stijn Vandenbergh. Also, the rider from Sainte-perpétue, Que., would like to win a European race, if the opportunity presents itself. “If I can get my chance, for sure, I will take it,” he said.
In May, Houle hopes to race in the Tour of California, which is part of the Worldtour calendar in 2017. He feels it’s a race in which he can achieve some results. Also, a good performance there could help his Tour de France ambitions. It’s tough for a Quebecois rider on a French team when it comes to making the Tour de France squad. Still, if the results are there in 2017… Ottawa’s Michael Woods will face the Worldtour for a second year with his team Cannondale-drapac. His first year at the sport’s highest level began and ended with some good results. The middle, however, was rough. At Woods’s first Worldtour race, the 2016 Tour Down Under, he finished third on the fifth stage atop Willunga Hill. He finished that race fifth in the GC and third in the mountains classification. Later, at Liège-bastogne-liège, he crashed, breaking his hand in three places. The injury kept him from participating in the Giro d’italia. In late September, at the one-day race MilanoTorino, Woods finished second. “I am definitely looking at the Ardennes Classics as a key goal on my 2017 calendar, especially la Flèche Wallonne,” he said. “Also, due to injuries this past season, I was unable to take part in a Grand Tour, so this year, it is a big goal of mine to take part in at least one.”