Houle dedicates win to late brother
It was clear this was no ordinary victory for the 31-year-old
This has been a quite superb Tour de France. As we enter the final few days, the battle for the maillot jaune has developed into an incredible slugfest on two wheels.
In the latest round yesterday, second-placed Tadej Pogacar again tried desperately to land a decisive haymaker on race leader Jonas Vingegaard. The Slovenian’s efforts on stage 16 ultimately went unrewarded, although they did give third-placed Geraint Thomas a minor scare as he was briefly distanced on the final climb.
Sometimes it is not the overall race that takes centre stage at the Tour. Sometimes, even as we near Paris and the battle for yellow reaches its climax, an unexpected stage win from a random rider is compelling enough to warrant top billing. Yesterday was one of those days.
Hugo Houle, a 31-year-old from Sainte-perpetue in Quebec who races for Israel Premier-tech, is not a name anyone casually acquainted with cycling would be familiar with. Until yesterday Houle had never won anything of note in his career. A couple of national time trial titles. But nothing outside Canada.
From the moment he crossed the finish line in Foix yesterday, though, a minute clear of his nearest breakaway companion, and pointed heavenwards, choking back the tears, it was clear this was no ordinary win.
Houle’s tribute was aimed at his younger brother, Pierrick, who was killed by a drunk driver in a hit-andrun 10 years ago. It was Houle who discovered his body, three hours later, lying by the side of a road.
“I took his hand and I saw the blood go from his ear and his mouth . . . and that’s when I knew he was dead.”
As he recalled that horrific moment in his press conference yesterday, the tears flowing, Houle explained his brother had been with him all day, inspiring his attack from 39km out as the break descended off the Port de Lers, fuelling his climb up the final first category Mur de Peguere, and turbo-charging his run for home. He said he could not believe it. He had only gone up the road to try to set up a victory for teammate Michael Woods. But the chasers never caught him.
“It is a dream. If I had had to write down a dream and how I wanted to win a stage, that was it: solo. It’s crazy. I still struggle to believe I did it.”
Houle was a neo-pro in 2012. He
He went out at about 8pm and he
never came back. Me and my family had to go search for
him. I found him about three hours
later. Hugo Houle
had just finished fourth in the under23 world road race and was racing with Canadian team Spidertech-c10 when his brother went out for that fateful run.
“He went out at about 8pm and he never came back. Me and my family had to go search for him. I found him about three hours later. That’s how I lost my little brother and it hits you pretty hard . . . ”
French team AG2R La Mondiale honoured a commitment to sign him for 2013 despite knowing he would be a shadow of himself.
“I took a few years to come back to the top level, but I am where I am because of them,” he said.
A stage winner at the Tour de France: some way to honour your brother, with whom Houle first developed a love of cycling, watching the Tour on television.
Houle explained how they had
taken up triathlon as children.
“He was faster than me at first. With the years I became stronger but he was my biggest fan. When I turned pro I did fourth in the [under-23] world champs and he sent me a video. When he died there was no one to share the story. But he was my way to keep believing. He was my motivation. I never won anything in my life and today I won for the first time in the Tour.”
The win — the first stage win for a Canadian since 1988 — was even more impressive given the quality within the 29-man breakaway. He held a lead of 29 seconds over Matteo Jorgenson as they crested the final climb, with 22km to run, and the American’s crash with more than 13km to go all but secured the victory.
Behind them, race leader Vingegaard (Jumbo-visma) came home in a group with Pogacar (UAE
Team Emirates) and Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) a little under six minutes after Houle. Pogacar tried to attack Vingegaard on the first of the two category-one climbs late in the stage, the Port de Lers, and then again on the descent, before Pogacar’s teammate Rafal Majka set an infernal pace on the final ascent of the Peguere.
That distanced Thomas, though the Welshman was able to get back on during the descent — his Ineos team-mate Dani Martinez dropping back from the break to help him.
Thomas’ grip on the final podium place was actually strengthened with Romain Bardet (DSM), previously fourth, tumbling down the GC as he struggled in the heat.
Two more Pyrenean stages await, both summit finishes, first on Peyragudes today and then Hautacam tomorrow.
— Telegraph Media Group