HIGH ACHIEVERS WRAP: Michael Woods’ Vuelta stage win ‘a big moment of catharsis’

By Martin Cleary

Ottawa’s Michael Woods has had an up-and-down journey in his athletic career, whether it was middle-distance running at the start or now cycling at its highest level.

But he has always had the ability to deal with the difficult, which has allowed him to savour the sweetness.

During La Vuelta Ciclista a España, the third and final Grand Tour stage race on the 2024 calendar, Woods had one of those spine-tingling moments last Friday, when he won Stage 13 with a daring solo attack up a steep finish ascent with 4.7 kilometres remaining in the 176-kilometre race.

After helping to initiate a 24-rider lead group early on, he decided to put his enviable climbing ability to maximum use in the home stretch and secured his fourth career Grand Tour stage victory.

Earlier in his career, the Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club alumnus scored first-place stage finishes twice in the Vuelta (2020 and 2018) and once in the Tour de France (2023).

His fourth Grand Tour stage win was rather special as he was wearing a specially-designed Canadian team jersey, which was his coveted prize for capturing the men’s road race at this year’s Canadian cycling championships.

“I’m on cloud nine right now,” Woods said via his Israel-Premier Tech team shortly after his Vuelta victory. “My big goal was to win a race with this Canadian jersey.

“I’ve had a tough season this year with illness and I’ve had a tough race with some bad luck, a lot of mechanicals, crashes and mistimed moments. So, this is a big moment of catharsis, a big moment of relief. The pressure has been building and to get this win now, I’m on cloud nine.”

Woods’ solo attack allowed him to finish the Lugo to Puerto de Ancares course in four hours, 19 minutes, 51 seconds and earn a 45-second margin of victory over Switzerland’s Mauro Schmid of Team Jayco AlUla.

While Woods is primarily a high-quality mountain climber on wheels, striving to win the General Classification (overall) title is generally out of his reach in a Grand Tour event. But after his Stage 13 win, he was a respectable 23rd and sitting 23:29 back.

After the Vuelta’s final day off on Monday, Woods placed 118th in Stage 16 and with five stages remaining he trails Aussie leader Ben O’Connor of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team by 1:09:18 and is 32nd.

“I was super lucky to get in the break with (teammate) Dylan Teuns. (Teammate) Riley Sheehan did a great job and helped me a lot to get into the break,” Woods added. “I was a bit isolated later on, when we had Jay Vine, Brandon McNulty and Marc Soler attack me, but I just tried to keep fighting with them. Then, when Brandon and Jay crashed, it really scared me and, I hope they’re OK, but I knew that I was the guy to beat on that climb.”

“I had Puy de Dome (Tour de France stage win) in the back of my head. I knew that as long as I was in striking distance of the other guys, I had a shot of winning on the final climb because it’s a good climb for me.

“I didn’t want to go as early as I did, but with Mauro Schmid attacking me, I had to go then. It was a long four kilometres. It’s my third Vuelta stage win and I’m really proud of that. Just the Giro d’Italia stage win is missing. I’m not getting any younger, so it’s always nice to win at this age. I’m going to savour this one.”

Woods turns 38 on Oct. 12. He has one more year on his Israel-Premier Tech contract.

ANNABELLE CHUKWU BECOMES CANADA’S TOP YOUTH GOAL SCORER OF ALL-TIME

Ottawa’s Annabelle Chukwu scored a late goal to give Canada a 3-3 draw with France in its opening game at the FIFA women’s U20 World Cup in Colombia.

Canada twice held the lead, but needed Chukwu’s goal at the 84th minute to salvage a single point.

Then in a big 9-0 win over Fiji Tuesday, the Ottawa South United Soccer Club product tied Christine Sinclair’s Canadian youth goal-scoring record with her 27th international goal in 34 matches from the under-15 through U20 levels.

Chukwu then broke the record with her second goal of the contest and completed a hat trick with her 29th career goal in the 41st minute before she was substituted out at halftime.

Sophia Cortes-Browne of Ottawa was a reserve goalkeeper for Canada in both matches.

Canada is slated to face 2-0 Brazil on Friday.

GEE-GEES FIND FOOTBALL WIN COLUMN, RAVENS START 0-2

The University of Ottawa Gee-Gees won their first game of the 2024 OUA football season, while the Carleton University Ravens dropped their second match in as many outings.

The Gee-Gees, 1-1, relied on the running of Charles Asselin, who scored two touchdowns, and the kicking of Zachary Copeland, who booted 15 points, to defeat the host York University Lions 27-4.

Asselin dashed for 186 yards on 30 carries, which included touchdowns covering one and 27 yards. Copeland connected on four of five field-goal attempts from 34, 47, 28 and 22 yards, and added two converts and one single.

By the time the Ravens reached the midpoint of the third quarter, they led the undefeated University of Windsor Lancers 15-0. But they couldn’t score again.

Windsor responded with two touchdowns, a field goal, a two-point convert and a one-point convert to secure its second straight win, an 18-15 decision. The Lancers moved into a first-place tie with the Western University Mustangs and the University of Guelph Gryphons.

After the team earned a safety in the second quarter, kicker Brandon Forcier booted field goals from 35 and 36 yards. Receiver Kaseem Ferdinand connected with quarterback Elijah Barnes for a 38-yard touchdown and Forcier kicked the convert for a 15-0 advantage.

Both teams will be on the road Saturday as the Gee-Gees are scheduled to meet the University of Waterloo Warriors at 1 p.m. and the Ravens will face Western at 5 p.m.

OTTAWA SOONERS UNDEFEATED AFTER FIRST 3 GAMES

The Ottawa Sooners have burst out of the starting blocks and share first place in the Ontario Football Conference with the St. Clair Saints at 3-0.

The Sooners posted their third consecutive junior triumph this season under quarterback Owen Cowan and head coach Kevin Ling by a 51-1 margin over the Quinte Skyhawks.

In their first two games, the Sooners defeated the GTA Grizzlies 62-0 and the Hamilton Hurricanes 47-21.

The Sooners will meet the London Beefeaters on Saturday at the Gee-Gees’ football stadium at 4 p.m. On Sept. 14, the Sooners will hit the road to meet St. Clair.

AVA ACRES EDGES KATRINA FRLAN IN U18 PHOENIX SLAM CURLING

The curling season is off to a positive start for three Ottawa and area rinks, after the U18 Phoenix Slam in Oakville, ON., which was the opening event of the provincial Junior Slam Series.

The Ava Acres RCMP Curling Club rink went undefeated in seven games, including a 5-3 decision over Katrina Frlan of the Huntley Curling Club in the girls’ U18 championship game. Acres was 4-0 in the round robin and won all three playoff matches.

Aaron Benning of the North Grenville Curling Club finished in a three-way tie for first place at 4-0 in the round robin and won two playoff games to reach the final.

After defeating Owen MacTavish of the KW Granite Club 11-2 in the quarterfinals, the same two teams met again in the final, where MacTavish emerged the boys’ U18 champion at 5-3.

GLOUCESTER CELTIC EYE FIFTH ONTARIO CUP MEN’S SOCCER TITLE

The Gloucester Celtic men’s soccer team will chase its fifth title in the past 11 competition years in Sunday’s final at the Ontario Cup men’s outdoor soccer championship.

Provincial champions in 2022, 2021, 2016 and 2013, the Celtic will meet Scarborough GS United in Vaughan for the gold medal. Game time is 3:30 p.m.

The Celtic qualified for the final of the summer-long tournament with four consecutive wins, defeating Niagara Falls SC PSC Titans 4-1, Woodbridge Strikers 6-1, Panathinaikos Toronto FC 2-0 (quarterfinals) and Jagiellonia London 9-2 (semifinals).

OTTAWA MOUNTAIN BIKERS RANK HIGH IN CANADA CUP SERIES

The Canada Cup mountain bike series of races is complete and five Ottawa riders placed in the top 10 of the cross-country rankings.

In the junior men’s series, Ride with Rendall presented by Biemme cyclists’ Julien Desjardins and Nicholas Gauthier were third and fourth respectively. Desjardins posted back-to-back second- and third-place results at races in Whistler and Canmore, while Gauthier marked a pair of thirds in Dieppe and Baie-St-Paul.

Antoine Desjardins of Ride with Rendall was fifth in the U17 cadet men’s category. His top result was a third at Baie-St-Paul. Ride with Rendall’s Alexander Woodford was sixth in the elite men’s class. A third-place finish at St. Felicien helped Dorothee Perron of the Ottawa Bicycle Club take seventh overall in the junior women’s division.

AIDAN HEMBRUFF 4TH WITH CANADA AT U23 ROWING WORLDS

Ottawa Rowing Club product Aidan Hembruff helped Canada to its best performance in the U23 men’s eight event in 16 years as St. Catharines welcomed the Senior, Under 23, and Under 19 World Rowing Championships.

Canada finished fourth with a time of 5:30.92, slightly behind Australia in third at 5:29.43, second-place USA 5:27.50 and champion Great Britain in 5:24.73.

“Even though missing the podium by seconds was tough, we’re proud of how we raced the final,” Hembruff said via Rowing Canada. “The emotions were pretty overwhelming, especially seeing how many Canadian supporters were there cheering us on. At the end of the day, our competition was world-class, and we can hold our heads high knowing we left everything out there.”

ORC’s Madeleine Lauriault also rowed for Canada, placing seventh of seven in the U23 women’s eight event.

LAST, BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST

• Former Finnish national team hockey player Hanna Riikka Turpeinen has been hired as a full-time assistant coach for the uOttawa Gee-Gees women’s hockey program. Riikka Turpeinen, who represented Finland in international play from 2008-11, has been coaching in Ottawa for the past eight years.

• Kristina Kiss has been hired as the technical director for Ottawa’s new Northern Super League professional women’s soccer club, which will begin play next year. The 43-year-old former Canadian women’s national team player most recently coached at the youth level for Ottawa City Soccer Club.

• Jared Coyle of Manotick tied for eighth place at the Canadian men’s mid-amateur golf championship at the Carleton Golf and Yacht Club, shooting 71-66-71-73 for a one-over-par 281.

• Lise Jubinville of Ottawa tied for 14th place at the Canadian women’s mid-amateur, after carding rounds of 76-83-77 for a 20-over-par total of 236. She birdied two of her last four holes for her 77.

• Rideau View Golf Club’s Ceilidh Spare won the Ottawa Valley Golf Association’s OVGA Cup girls’ U19 title with rounds of 68 at Hylands, 78 at Eagle Creek and 75 at the Marshes for a five-over-par 221, while Canadian Golf and Country Club’s Avery Nordman, the Ontario U17 girls’ medal champion and match-play runner-up, was second at 229 from rounds of 80-73-76. Royal Ottawa’s Jayson Ross won the boys’ U19 title at 71-71-75-217 (one-over par).

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