Mike Woods has donned the Israel Premier Tech jersey for the past five years and as one cycling's great late-blooming stories will end his career this year.
The 38-year-old from Ottawa, who turned to cycling at 25 after an elite running career, went on to win stages at the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana, a World's bronze medal, and stand on Ardennes podiums. In 2019, he became the first person to finish a Tour de France and run a mile under four minutes.
In announcing his decision, he cited the toll on his health and time away from family, while expressing pride at what he achieved.
"Almost every time I race a bike, there is a point where I am flying along in a line of riders at 70 km/h and I think, 'A million years ago, we were monkeys.' Even if you dropped somebody from 100 years ago into the modern peloton, they would be so confused about what is going on. This sport is crazy, and has morphed into something so far from our original purpose as animals that anyone not born in the past century would not understand it. Every time I do a race, I feel an immense sense of luck to be doing it, as it is truly a pure luxury constructed by our own creativity.
This maximal focus has taken me to winning a bronze medals at the World Championships, second place at a monument, and a stage victory at the world's biggest bike race. Considering I started this sport at 25 years old, on a $1,000 bike gifted to me by my parents, knowing nothing about it, is insane. I thought, 'I was once one of the best runners in the world - why can't I be one of the best cyclists in the world? Through an incredible amount of support from many people - including my wife, my parents, my coach and mentor of 12 years, Paulo Saldanha, my team, my boss and biggest supported, Sylvan Adams, my main man and soigneur Jon Adams, my many great teammates - particularly the guy who suffered most with me over the past five years, Guillaume Boivin and numerous great directors - I was able to realize that goal. I managed to become one of the best cyclists in the world, and it is a journey I am damn proud of.
I still have big ambitions and plans for the coming years that involve exploring new arenas in endurance sports. For the reasons mentioned above, I have made the decision to retire from professional road cycling at the end of the season."
-Mike Woods plans to close his career at the upcoming Quebec races this September!
Comments