HUGO HOULE

Astana’s Canadian all- rounder on Flanders, cooking and suffering at the Vuelta

“My favourite climb is Alpe d’Huez, because when I arrived in Europe, Grenoble was the first place I lived and I could ride there”

Where’s home? I live full time in Monaco, from the beginning of this year. Originally I’m from Sainte-Perpétue, in the centre of Québec. It’s a small village, around 1,000 people there. That’s where my parents have always been and we never moved. I spent all my time there before I started cycling. French is my first language, and before this year I lived near Mont Ventoux, with Antoine Duchesne, who’s with FDJ now, and we spent five years together. There was less climbing, and in the winter there was good weather but not a lot of wind.

What’s your favourite race?

The Tour of Flanders, not really for the race itself, but for the atmosphere around it. It’s really special to race in Belgium. You can feel on the morning of the race that it’s a special one, and it’s really nice. I really enjoy it. I was supposed to ride it this year - I’ve done it seven times before.

What’s your favourite climb?

Alpe d’Huez, because when I arrived in Europe, Grenoble was the first place I lived and I could ride there. I really enjoyed all the switchbacks, and that was one of the first big, big climbs I did.

What’s your secret talent?

Everyone knows that at home I like to cook. That’s something I enjoy doing when I’m off the bike, so now I have a lot of time to do it. There’s not one thing I like to cook. We travel a lot, but everything with maple syrup is always good.

What’s the best prize you’ve won?

In Québec we have a special mention from the Governor of Québec, and I won this for working hard at school. I was not super good but they gave me a reward for my effort. That’s probably the only thing outside of cycling I’ve won.

What advice would you give to your teenage self?

I’d say believe in yourself. Just do what you want to do, and fight for it.

How do you let your hair down?

I watch Netflix to free my mind - a good TV programme or a good movie. And when we can, I like to go out and just look at the sea; take a moment to stop and enjoy it.

What’s your best cycling hack?

It depends what you want to be good at, but to do long rides with lots of climbing, there’s a payback to have. Climbing gives a lot of good fitness, but you need the right application. You can do intensive condition on a home trainer, but long climbing helps to step up the condition.

What’s been your toughest day?

The Vuelta, in 2017. I crashed during the neutral zone of stage 6. I hit my elbow pretty bad, and then we had 200km to go after that. My jersey was all f*cked at the back. I suffered so much just to finish that day, it was so painful. I could not even stand up on my bike. I had to sit on my saddle all day. I’d get dropped inside the bunch because I could not stand up or punch, and I really struggled to put pressure on my left arm. Two weeks after the race, they said I had a small fracture on the elbow. What result are you proudest of?

Finishing fourth at the u23 World Championships [in 2012]. It’s what got me into the WorldTour.