MIKE WOODS
Sport: Cycling
Event: Men’s Road Race
Age: 37
Hometown: Ottawa
Residence: Ottawa/Andorra
Local Club: Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club
Third Olympics
Instagram: @rusty_woods
VIEW MIKE’S COMPETITION SCHEDULE HERE.
By Adam Beauchemin
From an athletic career that seemed to be dead in the water when he was in his mid-20s, Ottawa’s Mike Woods is headed back to the Olympics for a third time this summer.
And while the novelty will never get old for the 37-year-old road cyclist who grew up dreaming of going to the Games, Paris 2024 will offer the unique opportunity for him to line up alongside a fellow local rider, Derek Gee.
“I’m extra motivated,” Woods underlines. “The Olympic Games are really special to me – more so than most cyclists. For road cyclists, the Olympics aren’t the be-all, end-all — it’s the Tour de France, typically. But for me, I hold it in a similar regard.”
For the first time in its history, the Tour de France won’t be ending in Paris, due to preparations for the Games. But the French capital will be the site of the Olympic men’s road race on Aug. 3, including three climbs up the storied Montmartre hill near the course’s finish in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.
Competing in the city where the modern Olympics took root, in a cycling-mad country, will offer another unforgettable moment in part two of Woods’ sporting career, which began on the track as a middle-distance runner before a recurring foot injury forced him out of the sport.
“Running places a much bigger emphasis on the Olympics and I grew up as a kid just loving and idolizing the Olympics, so it had been my biggest life goal as a kid,” recounts the former Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club athlete, who is recognized as the first athlete to have run a four-minute mile and compete in the Tour de France.
Read More: Runner-turned-cyclist Mike Woods wants to create iconic sports moment of his own
Woods’ first Olympic appearance came in 2016 at the Rio Games, where he placed 55th overall while pushing through an injury that proved to be a fractured femur upon closer inspection.
At the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, Woods was part of the lead pack that survived many major climbs in over six hours of racing, which ended with a mad sprint to the line. The climbing specialist ultimately took fifth place in a photo finish, coming within a couple wheel lengths of the podium.
This time out, Woods pledges to soak in the experience of what will likely be his final Games.
“I couldn’t imagine going to three (Olympics) when I was first starting this sport. The goal was just to try and make one,” reflects the Hillcrest High School grad. “And even now, at my age — almost 38 years old — I’m not taking it for granted.”
So far, 2024 hasn’t been an easy ride for Woods.
In May, the Israel-Premier Tech pro rider started the Giro d’Italia seeking to complete his trifecta of stage victories at Grand Tour events. He had previously won a race at the Tour de France — only the third Canadian to accomplish the feat — and had twice won stages in the Spanish Vuelta.
Woods’ time at the Giro was cut short however, after he was involved in a crash that left him with mild concussion symptoms and led him to drop out of the competition. On top of the concussion, Woods was afflicted by a stomach bacteria this year.
“I’ve had a really tough start to the season with some health issues, but I finally feel like I’ve got them under control and I’m feeling confident,” indicates Woods, who had feared age was catching up to him and that his career may be winding down when he struggled with long races on consecutive days early in the Giro, before his illness was discovered.
“I’ve been really fortunate to have a good, integrated support team that got to the bottom of everything, and my health is much better. I’m feeling way better on the bike,” adds Woods, who spent some time back home in the capital before heading to St-Georges, QC to win his first Canadian championship at the end of June.
Woods is currently in El Pas de la Casa, Andorra for altitude conditioning, which he says has been going well. When he heads straight north to Paris, Woods will be joined by his whole family for a bit of extra motivation and support.
“It’s going to be really special,” smiles the father of two.
Attacking the course
This year’s road race will look a fair bit different from that of Tokyo.
The Paris course will cover a total of 273 kilometres. It will also feature 2,800 metres of climbing and 13 named ascents. The Tokyo course wasn’t quite as long at 234 km, but featured 4,865 m of climbing and five major peaks.
Woods’ strong climbing ability powered him into the lead group on the grudgingly hilly Tokyo course. As Woods’ Israel-Premier Tech profile puts it, he can routinely be spotted among the cyclists “breaking away from the peloton when they hit the steepest of slopes.”
With nearly 2,000 metres less elevation than Tokyo, Woods says the terrain of Paris may not exactly play to his strengths.
“It’s going to be challenging for me to have the same result that I had in Tokyo, just because Tokyo is such a climbier course,” signals Woods, who’d completed 18 of 21 stages at the 2021 Tour de France before tackling Tokyo a week later.
The Paris race will also differ from Tokyo and most pro competitions, with only 90 cyclists taking part. That means there will be 40 fewer riders than in Tokyo and nearly half the amount of the Tour de France, which featured 130 and 176 riders, respectively.
While Woods is accustomed to riding with six or seven additional teammates, Team Canada will only be represented by two cyclists in the Paris men’s road race — Woods and Gee — which changes the approach to the sport.
“It’s not like a professional race in that it’s a smaller field, so it’s much more challenging to control a race,” Woods explains. “That leaves guys like myself and Derek able to be more opportunistic.”
The approach, Woods says, will be to attempt to exploit the small field and be as aggressive as possible to get up the road early.
“If we can both be constantly attacking, then I think that’s the best way we can support each other and increase our chances of getting a medal,” outlines the former University of Michigan Wolverines runner.
Woods notes that he’s “extra proud” of his Olympic/Israel-Premier Tech teammate Gee, who currently holds a top-10 position in the general classification through 19 of 21 stages in his debut Tour de France. Gee, who competed in Tokyo as a track cyclist, also earned a podium on Stage 9.
“He’s a fellow Ottawa boy, and I’m really proud that he’s made the (Olympic) spot. He’s been racing so well,” Woods highlights. “It’s going to be really special to be racing with him, and especially as I really think he’s the future of Canadian cycling.”
Woods also notes that he and Gee wouldn’t be racing together in Paris without the amazing cycling infrastructure in Ottawa.
“Were it not for the support of that community, I wouldn’t be where I am today and I know that’s the case for Derek as well,” he says. “I’m definitely proud to be from the national capital region.”
COMPETITION SCHEDULE:
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