Latest news with #TourdeFrance
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Canadian Michael Woods headed to his fifth Tour de France, looking for stage wins
Canadian Michael Woods is headed to his fifth Tour de France, looking for a repeat of 2023 when he won a stage in the storied Grand Tour race. The 38-year-old from Ottawa will ride alongside fellow Canadian Guillaume Boivin in Israel-Premier Tech's eight-man team for the 3,320-kilometre Tour, which runs from July 5 to 27. Advertisement Team sporting director Steve Bauer, who rode in 11 editions of the Tour de France and was the first Canadian to win a stage (in 1988), has high hopes for the team but is realistic about the challenge that lies ahead. "It's simply said, yet difficult to achieve — we want to win a stage," Bauer said in a statement. "We've assembled the best team from our current healthy roster with the aim of achieving this goal. 'It's a common goal for every team, and that's where the challenge lies at the highest level of our sport. We have to be sharp from Day 1 and, in particular, through the first 10 days, we'll analyze how we can have a shot at nearly every stage, because we can't afford to let any opportunities go. We have the riders who can be in the mix to win. Our day-to-day tactics will be very important, along with how we manage the guys.' Woods returns to the race two years after becoming the third Canadian to win a stage on the Tour. Israel-Premier Tech teammate Hugo Houle was the second, winning the 16th stage of the 2022 edition. Advertisement Woods is also the last Israel-Premier Tech rider to win a Grand Tour stage — at the Spanish Vuelta last August. "It's a crazy race and it's the last race on the calendar that I do that scares me — in a good way, but it's such a challenging race," he said. "The level is so high. The risks are so big, but the rewards are so incredible. Winning a stage there in 2023 was the crowning achievement of my career. Given the level of excitement around that win and the support I've received since I achieved it, I can say it changed my life. For all of those reasons, I can say I'm looking forward to returning to the Tour." Woods, an accomplished climber, says he is not targeting the first week. 'Everything from Stage 6 onward I'm excited about," he said. "Don't expect to see me at all during those opening stages. I want to try and stay safe. The only Tour I've won a stage in was the only one I didn't crash in. If I can stay upright in the first week, then there are opportunities in the second and third weeks for stage wins.' Advertisement Woods' best general classification finish at the Tour was 32nd in 2-19. He did not finish the race in 2021 and '22 and was 48th in 2023. Fellow Canadian Derek Gee led Israel Premier-Tech at the Giro d'Italia in June, finishing fourth overall. The 27-year-old from Ottawa was ninth overall in last year's Tour de France but is not on this year's team. The other team members this year are Germany's Pascal Ackermann, Britain's Joe Blackmore and Jake Stewart, France's Matîs Louvel, Kazakhstan's Alexey Lutsenko and Latvia's Krists Neilands. "We have several guys who will have opportunities in the first week. Stages one, two, and three will be intense," said Bauer. "Certainly, Ackie and Jake will be key men, backed up by a solid support group. There could be a couple of potential breakaway stages before the first rest day, too, depending on how the peloton reacts and the race evolves. It will be important for our guys to be ready to go hunting for victories when these opportunities come. Advertisement 'In the high mountains, Mike is our best climber, and he's proven he can win Grand Tour stages. We'll look to keep him out of trouble in the first few days, and then we'll utilize his strengths as we go forward.' For the first time since 2020, the Tour will be held exclusively in France. The 21-stage race features seven flat stages, six hilly stages, six mountain stages (with five mountain finishes) and two time trials. The field includes 184 riders representing 23 teams. The race starts in Lille with a flat 184.9-kilometre stage. --- This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2025 Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
The Guardian
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘A three-week drama in daily episodes': curtain to fall on free-to-air Tour de France coverage
When the last rider rolls across the Tour de France finish line in Paris on 27 July it will mark more than the end of the world's most prestigious bike race. Once Gary Imlach and team have wrapped up, it will conclude four decades of free-to-air Tour coverage for British TV viewers. While the sport, and the technology used to broadcast it, have transformed since the 1980s, the excellence of the ITV programme (previously on Channel 4) has been constant. Just as British and Irish interest in the race has cycled through eras – from Sean Kelly to David Millar, to Chris Boardman and later Mark Cavendish, to Team Sky of Wiggins, Froome and Thomas – the on-air cast has naturally evolved. Nick Owen and Richard Keys first presented the highlights: Owen in '86, Keys in '87 and '88. Phil Liggett, for a time, doubled as presenter and commentator, and Liggett and Paul Sherwen were succeeded by the more cerebral – and no less popular – Ned Boulting and Millar on commentary. In an increasingly fragmented industry, though, Imlach is established as the face of cycling on terrestrial TV, blending journalistic rigour with a drily humorous style, a long way from the banterverse of much contemporary sports coverage. As he nears the finish of his own Grand Tour it seems apposite to ask the question put to countless out-of-breath stage winners down the years. How does he feel? 'There's a mix of emotions,' Imlach says. 'Sad that it's ending but grateful, too, because you can't complain after a 35-year run from what I initially thought was a freelance job. There's also a sort of a determination: we can't let the fact it's our last Tour get in the way of doing a good job. Inevitably, I've also been thinking about people who are no longer here like [director] Steve Docherty, who shaped the show for so long.' Coolness under pressure is another Imlach attribute; essential when the increasingly fierce French summer heat occasionally causes his iPad to shut down while live on air. How does he describe his approach? 'The first principle of covering TV sport is the first principle of medicine: Do no harm. Don't get in the way of the sport. But if you are going to add something, make sure it's of value.' In 1986, Brian Venner, the show's original executive producer, was tasked with its creation. The core team he assembled has shown remarkable staying power and some of the seasoned crew at Vsquared TV have been involved for decades. A deep well of knowledge, both of the Tour's unique intricacies and creating daily live coverage and highlights shows, is thus brought to bear. 'Adrian Metcalfe, head of sport for Channel 4, asked me to develop it,' Venner says. 'The Tour never had proper coverage in this country. When I worked at the BBC I'd followed a stage and was excited by what I saw, so when Adrian asked me I leapt at the chance. 'We developed various things technically, and things which saved money. We built a truck that had everything: A commentary position in the back, satellite dish on top, the whole thing in one. We even organised a chef. He went out every morning to the markets and came back with lunch.' Brian's son James joined in 1992. With Carolyn Viccari, who began as Brian's assistant and would become executive producer, overseeing complex planning and logistics, James Venner – like Brian an early adopter of new technologies – became a senior producer and remains responsible for the London operation. What makes the Tour special? 'As you get close to it, you realise what an incredibly tough sport it is,' James Venner says. 'It's the incredible scenery, the theatre in which it takes place. And as a challenge in TV, it's as complex as the Olympics but it moves every day. 'Doing any live TV you're on the edge, frankly. With this you're on the edge but you don't know if all the wiring and glue will hold. Professionally it's a tremendous challenge and a very satisfying one. From a sporting point of view it's this immensely hard thing, these brilliant athletes in the most wonderful backdrop.' TV affects cycling like no other sport. Sponsors want exposure, ensuring all those doomed breakaways, and James Venner explains how the introduction of Eurosport's pan-European coverage changed the race in the Lance Armstrong era. 'The teams could watch as they drove around and Armstrong used to play on that, he'd make it look like he was suffering. The camera would come in and get the big shot of him suffering on the climb. Other teams would say on team radio: 'Attack now, he's in trouble!' Then, of course, he wasn't in trouble. He'd forced them to attack too early.' As the end approaches James Venner shares Imlach's sadness. 'Nothing is for ever … You'd like to go on, and there's sadness that the team we've built has got very good at doing it. It's the last time we might see some of them.' Why do those team members, just like fans, become addicted? 'The drug analogy might not be the most diplomatic,' says Imlach. 'It's a three-week drama delivered in daily episodes. There's the bigger overall picture, but every day you have a self-contained story. There are all sorts of layers and complexity but I think anybody can enjoy it.' Imlach's break came via an NFL assignment. 'Mike Miller, Channel 4's commissioning editor for sport in the 80s and 90s, gave me a job doing travelogue pieces on cities where NFL games were played. He said to Brian: 'You should get somebody doing what Gary Imlach's doing on the NFL.' 'Brian took him at his word. I'm not sure it was entirely popular because the highlights were only half an hour and it was mainly hardcore cycling fans watching. I don't think they appreciated some ignoramus popping up with a piece about a fleet of motorised profiteroles in the publicity caravan.' The Tour has had its share of scandals, including the British-branded version involving Team Sky and Bradley Wiggins. Considering how a complex saga developed over time, is there anything Imlach would do differently? 'Hard to tell without going back and double-checking everything,' he says. 'Certainly there isn't just one Sky story. There's the story Sky told about themselves and there's the story that leaked out around the edges. It leaked out after the fact, we addressed it after the fact, but, like everybody else, we didn't get satisfactory answers out of the principals. 'Having declared this project of transparency, when it came to account for the discrepancies between what they'd said and some of the contradictory evidence that subsequently seeped out, Dave Brailsford never really did.' Brailsford denies wrongdoing and appeared at a 2016 House of Commons select committee hearing. There have been speedbumps on the way. It was Channel 4's acquisition of Test cricket that prompted the move to ITV in 2001. Like Test cricket the world's greatest bike race will soon move behind a paywall. The good news for cycling fans and Francophiles across the UK, though, is that Imlach and co have a final crack at it. When the race rolls out from Lille on 5 July, for one last time, sit back and enjoy the ride.
Leader Live
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Leader Live
Sir Mark Cavendish ‘proud' to have Douglas cycle track named in his honour
The winner of a record 35 Tour de France stages was back home in Douglas on the Isle of Man, where the cycle track at the National Sports Centre where he first started racing as a child was renamed the Sir Mark Cavendish Raceway. On the track where he used to compete every Tuesday night during his youth, Cavendish, who retired from racing at the end of last season, joined local schoolchildren on a ride as a new podium and signage was unveiled. 'When I was young, I would always be smashing it around that half-mile circuit,' Cavendish told the PA news agency. 'It was always fun, it was always something I would look forward to, and it taught me how to race. 'This is where I started, where every Isle of Man rider started racing, so it's very sentimental. It's not just like having something named after me – I'm very proud to have it at the place that started and shaped my career. It's truly an honour, it really means something on a personal level.' Cavendish used to revel in the weekly races run at the venue by Dot Tilbury, who remains a fixture at the National Sports Centre. Tilbury helped launch the careers of Cavendish, former Team Sky rider Pete Kennaugh and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Mark Christian, but the sessions she runs have been about more than finding future professionals. 'Cycling is fundamentally built on community and volunteers,' Cavendish said when asked about her contribution. 'That's what I loved about it. That's what got me started. 'It doesn't matter where you're from or what you do, everyone is joined by this single love, which is the bicycle – whether it's racing, using it for transport or for fitness. 'Historically club racing here in the Isle of Man and the UK in general takes a community who just love it, love seeing the racing and love what the bike is about. Without them these things don't exist and I think we need to treasure that.'
Toronto Sun
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
Canadian Michael Woods headed to his fifth Tour de France, looking for stage wins
Published Jun 27, 2025 • 3 minute read Canada's Michael Woods, centre, waves from the podium after winning the ninth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 182.5 kilometres (113.5 miles) with start in Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat and finish in Puy de Dome, France, Sunday, July 9, 2023. Photo by Daniel Cole / AP Canadian Michael Woods is headed to his fifth Tour de France, looking for a repeat of 2023 when he won a stage in the storied Grand Tour race. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The 38-year-old from Ottawa will ride alongside fellow Canadian Guillaume Boivin in Israel-Premier Tech's eight-man team for the 3,320-kilometre Tour, which runs from July 5 to 27. Team sporting director Steve Bauer, who rode in 11 editions of the Tour de France and was the first Canadian to win a stage (in 1988), has high hopes for the team but is realistic about the challenge that lies ahead. 'It's simply said, yet difficult to achieve — we want to win a stage,' Bauer said in a statement. 'We've assembled the best team from our current healthy roster with the aim of achieving this goal. 'It's a common goal for every team, and that's where the challenge lies at the highest level of our sport. We have to be sharp from Day 1 and, in particular, through the first 10 days, we'll analyze how we can have a shot at nearly every stage, because we can't afford to let any opportunities go. We have the riders who can be in the mix to win. Our day-to-day tactics will be very important, along with how we manage the guys.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Woods returns to the race two years after becoming the third Canadian to win a stage on the Tour. Israel-Premier Tech teammate Hugo Houle was the second, winning the 16th stage of the 2022 edition. Woods is also the last Israel-Premier Tech rider to win a Grand Tour stage — at the Spanish Vuelta last August. 'It's a crazy race and it's the last race on the calendar that I do that scares me — in a good way, but it's such a challenging race,' he said. 'The level is so high. The risks are so big, but the rewards are so incredible. Winning a stage there in 2023 was the crowning achievement of my career. Given the level of excitement around that win and the support I've received since I achieved it, I can say it changed my life. For all of those reasons, I can say I'm looking forward to returning to the Tour.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Woods, an accomplished climber, says he is not targeting the first week. 'Everything from Stage 6 onward I'm excited about,' he said. 'Don't expect to see me at all during those opening stages. I want to try and stay safe. The only Tour I've won a stage in was the only one I didn't crash in. If I can stay upright in the first week, then there are opportunities in the second and third weeks for stage wins.' Woods' best general classification finish at the Tour was 32nd in 2-19. He did not finish the race in 2021 and '22 and was 48th in 2023. Fellow Canadian Derek Gee led Israel Premier-Tech at the Giro d'Italia in June, finishing fourth overall. The 27-year-old from Ottawa was ninth overall in last year's Tour de France but is not on this year's team. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The other team members this year are Germany's Pascal Ackermann, Britain's Joe Blackmore and Jake Stewart, France's Matis Louvel, Kazakhstan's Alexey Lutsenko and Latvia's Krists Neilands. 'We have several guys who will have opportunities in the first week. Stages one, two, and three will be intense,' said Bauer. 'Certainly, Ackie and Jake will be key men, backed up by a solid support group. There could be a couple of potential breakaway stages before the first rest day, too, depending on how the peloton reacts and the race evolves. It will be important for our guys to be ready to go hunting for victories when these opportunities come. 'In the high mountains, Mike is our best climber, and he's proven he can win Grand Tour stages. We'll look to keep him out of trouble in the first few days, and then we'll utilize his strengths as we go forward.' For the first time since 2020, the Tour will be held exclusively in France. The 21-stage race features seven flat stages, six hilly stages, six mountain stages (with five mountain finishes) and two time trials. The field includes 184 riders representing 23 teams. The race starts in Lille with a flat 184.9-kilometre stage. Check out our sports section for the latest news and analysis. Toronto Raptors News Music Toronto Raptors Canada
ITV News
17 hours ago
- Sport
- ITV News
Sir Mark Cavendish makes triumphant return to Isle of Man after raceway named in his honour
ITV Granada's sports correspondent Chris Hall speaks to Sir Mark Cavendish as he relaunches the raceway renamed in his honour Sir Mark Cavendish has returned to the Isle of Man raceway where he fell in love with cycling as a young boy, to see it renamed in his honour. Children from every school in the Island were on hand for the launch of the Sir Mark Cavendish Raceway at the National Sports Centre in Douglas, which marks the culmination of a community project involving thousands of young people. During the event, Sir Mark completed a timed lap of the 1km circuit before joining hundreds of children for a celebratory ride-out. He unveiled a new podium, a custom finish line, permanent signage, and a giant woven quote bearing the words: 'I dreamed of being like my heroes'. A large artwork featuring the names of pupils from every Isle of Man school was also revealed. Sir Mark and his children searched for their own names among them. 'I love this place,' he added. 'We're so lucky with what we have in the Isle of Man - the NSC, the facilities, the support. I wouldn't be where I am without it.'The project aims to celebrate Sir Mark's legacy by encouraging the next generation to follow their dreams as he did, while recognising the place where his extraordinary journey began. The pupils were joined by members of Sir Mark's former cycling club to watch the Manx Missile complete a timed 'hot lap' of the 1km circuit, before joining him for a special ride-out ceremony also involved a giant artwork featuring the names of hundreds of pupils which was unveiled, alongside a new podium, custom finish line, and permanent signage. The display centres on an inspirational quote: 'I dreamt of being like my heroes.', drawn from Sir Mark's own reflections before childhood races, and it helps to inspired the entire project. Children have played a creative role throughout — nominating their own heroes, designing banners, and submitting questions for Sir Mark, with a number of lucky pupils being selected to interview him about his life and Mark said: 'I fell in love with cycling right here. It's where it all began for me, so it's a very special place. "I am deeply moved by the thought and detail that has gone into every element." Sir Mark turned professional at 18 and claimed 165 career wins, including a record 35 Tour de France stage victories, making him one of the most decorated riders in cycling history. Daphne Caine MHK, Minister for Education, Sport and Culture, said: 'This exciting project shows that with belief and determination, anything is possible. Sir Mark is a fantastic role model, and young people are truly at the heart of this — just as he wished.' Deborah Heather, CEO of Visit Isle of Man, added: 'This place played a key role in Sir Mark's journey — and we're thrilled to help tell that story to the world. Imagine having the golf club where Tiger Woods first played golf or the football pitch where Lionel Messi scored his first goal – the Isle of Man has something very special and this project honours it.'
