Potential Cancon for the 2017 Tour
Since late this past December, Svein Tuft has had the Giro as part of his schedule for 2017. For the hardman on Orica-scott, riding Italy’s Grand Tour doesn’t necessarily rule out lining up in France. In 2013 and 2014, he rode both the Giro and the Tour. At the 2016 Giro, Esteban Chaves drew small thank-you posters for all his teammates. Tuft’s had “grizzly power” written on it. The Canadian also helped the Colombian at the 2016 Vuelta. If Chaves needs some grizzly power in France this summer, Tuft will be there.
A crash and subsequent broken hand at 2016 Liège-bastogne-liège ruined Michael Woods’s Giro hopes last year. The Tour was always unlikely for the first-year Worldtour rider. He rode in the Tour of Alberta instead of the Vuelta. This year, he really wants at least one of those Grand Tours. The Tour de France is a longshot because it’s an unlikely event for a second-year rider, too.
Hugo Houle, Antoine Duchesne and Ryan Anderson, all alumni of Steve Bauer and Josée Larocque’s Team Spidertech, are on French teams. Houle has been on the Worldtourlevel Ag2r-la Mondiale since 2013. Duchesne has been with Direct Energie ( formerly Team Europcar) since 2014, when it was a Worldtour team. Anderson joined Duchesne last year on the pro continental squad. They all have Grand Tour experience. Duchesne rode his first Tour de France last year. Still, when you’re on a French team, and you’re not from France, it’s hard to get a spot on the Tour squad. Of the three Canucks, Duchesne has the best odds of appearing on the start line on July 1.