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A mother tells her son that he sucks. A pro, on his way to a race win, lobs a retort revealing local knowledge. A masters rider can’t stop thinking about a burn yelled at him across a field years ago. A course designer screams platitudes with the frightening intensity of a death metal singer. These are all part of the world of cyclocross heckles, which sting, amuse, elate and perplex. They’re supposed to be fun. But sometimes they go terribly wrong.
At a recent CX race in Toronto, editor Matthew Pioro looked into the cyclocross heckle. He spoke with Isabella Holmgren, the current elite Pan Am champion participating in one of her first 'cross races of the season. She revealed how family can unleash some pretty harsh words. Ian Ackert, the under-23 Pan Am champ racing in bleached blond hair, seemed to have corralled any disses around his locks. Sidney McGill, two-time under-23 national champion, has been followed by a squirrel-related heckle. The three pro riders not only spoke about course-side razzing, but their goals for the ’cross season ahead as well.
Pioro also went looking for a heckler who landed what the editor considers some of the harshest burns he’d ever received. The meeting and the conversation goes in a direction that Pioro didn’t expect. Could it be time to retire the heckle and replace it with something more positive?
In this episode, Pioro has help with CX heckle analysis from Canadian Cycling Magazine web editor Matt Hansen and feature writer Jake Williams, two guys who know all about unleashing trash talk.
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How long will Michael Woods continue to race? What was it like for Michael Leonard in the breakaway in Montreal? Is Derek Gee giving up birding?
Each year, the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal bring the world’s best riders to Canada. In 2024, mixing it up with Tadej Pogačar, Biniam Girmay and Julian Alaphilippe, were most of the top Canadian athletes, as well as some of the nation’s notable up-and-comers.
Derek Gee discusses his development as a rider. He had his breakout in 2023 at the Giro d’Italia. This year, he won a stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné and finished third overall. At his Tour de France debut, he was ninth in the GC. The rider from Osgoode, Ont., seems to be able to approach his races with a relaxed, “let’s see how this goes” attitude. But as he’s progressing in the sport, is pressure starting to mount?
Michael Woods, 37, is in the latter stages of his cycling career. Earlier this year, as a yet-to-be-diagnosed bacterial infection troubled him, he was considering retiring sooner than later. But things seem to have turned around for the rider who came to the Montreal GP in his national champion’s jersey. For Woods, Montreal is one of the most important races on the calendar. Also, there’s an event coming to that city that might keep Woods in the pro ranks just a little bit longer. That same event is a big motivation for Woods’s teammates Hugo Houle and Guillaume Boivin, too.
A bunch of riders made their debuts at the GPCQM. Michael Leonard, from Oakville, Ont., was signed to Ineos Grenadiers in 2022 at the age of 18. The past two years have had some ups and downs, but Leonard feels he’s been making some significant progress since this past summer. In August, he won the prologue at the Tour de l’Avenir. In Montreal, he got into the breakaway. His 156-km ride was another breakthrough. In Quebec City, two other young Canadians did some serious time ahead of the bunch. In a special GPCQM episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast, find out what it was like for Jonas Walton and Félix Hamel in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec breakaway.
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This past August, the day after Micayla Gatto’s 36th birthday, the freerider, filmmaker and artist was at a boatyard in Squamish. She was there to fix up the family’s sailboat. Her goal is not only to get the craft seaworthy, but to use it to travel to new riding destinations—another chapter in the varied career of the rider-Renaissance woman.
In the 2000s, Gatto competed in downhill, earning national championship titles. After a bad crash in 2014, she stepped away from racing. In 2017, her video with IFHT, “Ferda Girls”—a parody of Kendrick Lamar’s “Humble” that critiqued the sexism and the challenges women face in mountain biking—won Crankworx’s Dirt Diaries. The video remains a landmark in Gatto’s career. Today, Gatto, a YT Mob member, continues to ride big lines and is an alternate for this fall’s edition of Red Bull Rampage, which will include women riders for the first time.
Another first in 2024 is the FMBA Slopestyle World Championships for women. Can Gatto connect her riding and activism to progress in the sport such as that? She is maybe a bit humble, and mixes her analysis with humour. “I mean, I've had a couple of people name their babies after me,” she says in this episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast. “So, I've got to be doing something right. (Or I just have a cool name.)”
Find out more in this wide ranging interview with Gatto that also looks at another one of her pursuits, the art of tattooing, and how it is connected with mountain biking.
Also in this episode is Derek Gee. The rider from Osgoode, Ont., won a stage at this year’s Critérium du Dauphiné, held the leader’s jersey for a stage and finished third overall. Later in the summer, he rode to an impressive ninth at the Tour France. He looks ahead to the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal. Editors Matthew Pioro and Matt Hansen look further at the WorldTour races set to run in a little more than a week. Big names are on their way to Canada.
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Years ago, Armando Mastracci got a recumbent bike that could provide him with heart rate, cadence and power data. As Mastracci trained on the bike indoors throughout one winter, the graduate of engineering science at the University of Toronto recorded his training data on spreadsheets. He also started performing his own experiments. What happened if he maintained a certain cadence? Or power? He started noticing patterns in the data, patterns that led him to algorithms, which in turn led to the launch of a training platform called Xert that Mastracci continues to build and expand today.
From the beginning, Xert had AI-like features. It could look at a rider’s power data and make predictions. But, until this past December, the company didn’t really lean into the term artificial intelligence. Then, eight months ago, Xert began rolling about a beta version of a feature called Forecast AI. What was it about this feature that made it AI? Why wasn’t the previous predictive number crunching of the software AI? Mastracci not only discusses these questions, but explores larger ideas that affect cyclists looking to improve their performance, as well as the AI field as a whole. Can an AI model handle all the data that cyclists can now collect, such as heart-rate variability to blood-sugar levels? Some AI models have shown certain biases. Are there biases in training platforms? With AI training systems getting better and better, should traditional coaches be worried? Take a listen to this fascinating interview with Mastracci and get a glimpse of the future of training.
Also in this episode, an update from Paris. Canadian Cycling Magazine writer Tara Nolan is at the Summer Games. She checks in with behind-the-scenes news from the time trial and mountain bike races. Make sure to read Nolan’s stories about the races against the clock and the Holmgren siblings, who competed in their first Olympics in cross country mountain biking. How did the Holmgrens get to Paris? Well, that’s a good story, too. You can listen to it in a previous episode.
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In March 1993, four men met in secret on a beach in Cuba. The topic of discussion was mountain biking. Could they take the still-young cycling discipline to the Olympic Games in Atlanta within three years? One of the men, the one who’d been helping to build the sport for years, figured it could be done, but they’d have to continue to operate without most of the UCI knowing what they were all up to.
The man behind this initiative was Marc Lemay. He’d got his start in cycling as a road rider, but soon realized he was better as an organizer. He worked at the club level in his hometown of Amos, Que. Later, he became the technical director of the Tour de l’Abitibi as that race got off the ground. From there, Lemay eventually progressed to the head of the Canadian Cycling Association. In 1991, he was elected to the International Amateur Cycling Federation. Today, he’s the president of the UCI’s arbitral board and member of the UCI’s disciplinary commission. Outside of cycling, Lemay is a lawyer. From 2004 to 2011, he served as a Bloc Québécois member of Parliament for the riding of Abitibi—Témiscamingue.
Throughout the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, Lemay helped to develop mountain biking. He had the support of UCI president Hein Verbruggen. The Canadian figured mountain biking might make it to the Olympics by the 2000 Games. But in March 1993, there was the opportunity to get XC into Atlanta, if everything went right and as long as the wrong people didn’t find out what Lemay and his allies were up to.
In this episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast, Marc Lemay tells the riveting story of how mountain biking became an Olympic sport. It is a great tale from the man who was at the centre of it all.
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This past spring, Ashlin Barry won two junior national championship titles: one in the time trial and one in road race. The Toronto rider snagged the victories south of the 49th parallel, so he pulled on the stars and stripes each time he stood on the podium. Since the beginning of the year, Barry—son of Michael and Dede Barry—has been racing with a U.S. licence instead of a Canadian one. He has dual citizenship as his father is from Toronto and mom is from Milwaukee, Wisc. In this episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast, Ashlin delves into this decision.
The 16-year-old rider also discusses some of his results abroad. In March, he won Tour du Bocage et de l'Ernée 53. It was his first UCI race, a 2.1, in Europe. Later, he came in seventh at Paris-Roubaix Juniors. It was an experience he enjoyed, even with the tough cobbles of the Hell of the North. In fact, he found it easier to race on the pavé than to ride over them in his race reconnaissance. Since the event is held on the same day as the elite and under-23 men’s events, the roads were lined with fans. In the final cobbled sectors, he was hit with sounds of the cheering crowds, which gave him a boost. He’s keen to return to that race next year.
Looking ahead, Barry has his sights on the world championships, both the TT and the road race. His U.S. titles qualified him for those races around Zurich, Switzerland. It’s the one-day races that have captured his imagination, such as worlds, Paris-Roubaix, Tour of Flanders, Milan-San Remo, and even the Olympics. With his talent, it seems he’ll be in the mix in those events in the years to come.
This episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast is supported by MS Bike. Register and start fundraising at msbike.ca. Also, check out MS Bike-specific training advice and tips from Canadian Cycling Magazine experts: there are eight-week and four-week training plans to get you ready. Also, for your fundraising efforts, you can get some pretty cool kit. Register and start fundraising.
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Recently, Environment and Climate Change Canada delivered its summer seasonal forecast. It looks like things will be hot, or at least most of the country will experience above average temperatures. These temperatures will mostly be seen in the North, across most of Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces. While we don’t know things like how many heat waves we’ll face or how high those temperatures will be, it’s certain that it will all be more than normal. Even now, as summer begins officially, parts of the country are sweltering.
Stephen Cheung is a professor and senior research fellow in the department of kinesiology at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont. He has studied the effects of environmental stress (which includes heat) on human physiology and performance. For the 2016 world championships, he helped U.S. cyclist Amber Neben to adapt to the heat she’d face in Doha, Qatar. She won gold in the time trial that year.
Cheung is a rider, too, and has contributed to Canadian Cycling Magazine with various articles throughout the years. In this episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast, he helps you understand heat and its effects on your rides, and what you can do about it. He discusses how your body can adapt, how much to drink, the role of sweat and what to wear. And don’t forget your sunscreen.
This episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast is supported by MS Bike. Register and start fundraising at msbike.ca. Also, check out MS Bike-specific training advice and tips from Canadian Cycling Magazine experts.
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At the recent cross country World Cup in Nové Město, Isabella Holmgren had her one shot to qualify for the Olympics. Her brother Gunnar also had to do well if he wanted to get the single spot Canada has for the men’s XC race in Paris. Isabella won the under-23 women’s XCO event, finishing 2:05 ahead of the second-place rider. Almost 24 hours later, Gunnar finished eighth in his race, one of the best results for an elite Canadian male in the past five years. Those performances make the siblings the most likely riders to represent their country in the races at Élancourt Hill this summer.
In this episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast, hear from the two riders from Orillia, Ont. Learn how everything came together for the sister and brother on one weekend in May. Also find out why their places on the start lines at the Olympics aren’t assured just yet, and what they plan to do until the end of July and beyond.
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Bike component maker Shimano has launched its new GRX Di2 groupset, which features 12-speed cassettes and semi-wireless shifting. On this episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast, Dave Lawrence and Nick Legan of Shimano talk about how the latest version of their gravel group came to be, its features and what still might lie ahead for GRX. Lawrence is a road and gravel product manager at Shimano and has been with the company for more than 30 years, overseeing the launch of numerous groupsets. Legan, a former WorldTour mechanic and current Shimano road and gravel brand manager, has been participating in gravel and chronicling its development since its early days. He not only provides context for GRX, but looks at the gravel scene as a whole.
Topics the duo cover are why there’s only a 2-by option of the groupset, the GRX’s compatibility with Di2 road groups and the new feature called Front Shift Next. Also, is there ever tension within Shimano between innovation, possibly pushing technology and keeping things ultra reliable, a feature which the brand is known for?
Canadian Cycling Magazine has something to say about the new gravel group, too. Recently, associate editor Andre Cheuk was at a Shimano media event for GRX in Carson City, Nev. He took the groupset on some serious rides, including Stetina's Paydirt gravel race. Cheuk, ever the gear geek, gets into the nitty-gritty details of how GRX performs on gravel, in sand and even after some stream crossings. You can read Cheuk's detailed look at the Shimano GRX Di2 on the Canadian Cycling Magazine website.
This episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast is supported by MS Bike. Register and start fundraising at msbike.ca. Also, check out MS Bike-specific training advice and tips from Canadian Cycling Magazine experts.
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This episode was just getting polished up as both Michael Woods and Riley Pickrell were involved in crashes in Stage 5 of the Giro d’Italia. Before the start of Stage 6, Woods presented symptoms of a mild concussion. The team made the decision that he should leave the race, head home and recover fully. Even though Pickrell was feeling well, he, too, didn't start Stage 6 in case of concussion. While the interviews in this episode were recorded at the start of the Giro, they will still give you insights into the riders we all care about, including what might be ahead for Woods this year as his career is winding down. Do have a listen. And, to keep on top of updates on Woods and Pickrell, visit cyclingmagazine.ca.
So, go behind the scenes of the Giro d’Italia with Michael Woods, Riley Pickrell and others at Israel-Premier Tech. Also, take a ride in the Israel-Premier Tech team car. Directeur sportif Oscar Guerrero offers support to Pickrell on his first Giro stage and shares his knowledge about riders and Grand Tour racing.
This episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast is supported by Yoeleo Canada. Did you know that the brand, which is based in China, has an office in Montreal? That's where you'll find support for all of Yoeleo's carbon products including bike frames, handlebars and wheels, like the new Pro Next wheelset. If you head to yoeleocanada.com with the code UPGRADE2024 you can get 20 per cent off a pair of Pro Next wheels.
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Stephen Roche has accomplished what only one other rider has done: won the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and the road world championships in one year. (The other is Eddy Merckx.) This season, it seems Tadej Pogačar could match the Irish rider’s feat from 1987.
In this episode, Roche looks back at the challenges he faced during that historic season: the tumultuous Giro with the split within his team and the Italian public seemingly out to get him; the Tour, which was not only a physical contest but a psychological one, too; and the world championships where the rider got himself into “a fine mess” in Villach, Austria. Roche is a great storyteller. He also brings his cycling insights and analysis to the current day. Ahead of this year’s Giro, which starts May 4, Pogačar is the favourite to take that Grand Tour. He’s won two Tours de France in his career and, at 25, is a top contender for the 2024 edition. The hilly worlds course in Zurich looks to be a puncheur’s playground—a place where the winner of Il Lombardia (three times), Liège-Bastogne-Liège (twice), the Tour of Flanders and the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal could take the rainbow jersey. Roche breaks down just what has to happen for Pogačar to make history.
This episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast is supported by MS Bike. Register and start fundraising at msbike.ca. Also, check out MS Bike-specific training advice and tips from Canadian Cycling Magazine experts.
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With the final Nations Cup of the season nearing, Sarah Van Dam was in Milton, Ont., with the Canadian squad getting ready for the event. Since the Olympics are only a few months away, the Nations Cup is a key part of the qualification process for Paris. Van Dam and the other riders on the team pursuit squad are after a top-eight place at minimum. But they’re really expecting a better result. In 2023, the group took bronze in the event in Milton.
Van Dam uses road cycling to support the track, however, she finds the track work doesn’t actually add to her racing on tarmac. Still, she’s continuing to balance both disciplines this year as she did the previous season. Last year, she took on a serious block of road racing in Europe, which she found overwhelming at first. She didn’t even eat during a 140-km stage. In March, she was back on the narrow, twisty routes of that continent, making improvements. Following the Olympics, Van Dam is planning to mix it up once again on the roads of the one-day Egmont Cycling Race Women and seven-stage Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l'Ardèche.
From serious racing, and serious splinters from crashes on the track, the discussion in this podcast episode also moves to dancing. Van Dam and her teammate Maggie Coles-Lyster create dance numbers for social media. Van Dam discusses that process, and how they roped in a reluctant Champions League rider, one who’d go on to win the event, into one of their clips.
This episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast is supported by the No. 22 Bicycle Company, makers of fine titanium bikes. Founders Mike Smith and Bryce Gracey check in to discuss their unique approach to bike construction, which is all done in North America, and their hands-on approach to getting you the best bike.
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Mel Webb, who has taken on such challenges as the Atlas Mountain Race and the Alberta Rockies 700, can weave the zany and the serious tougher almost effortlessly. Take her snooze in an outhouse this past summer. It’s kind of gross and funny, but in this episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast, it also leads her to discuss ideas of safety and what roles a public amenity should play in a self-supported event. Throughout the interview, she tackles big topics, like the lack of gender parity within cycling and sharing personal struggles online, and more whimsical subjects, such as what to listen to during a multi-day cycling challenge. Webb is also the co-host of a podcast called Detours, which takes listeners on deep dives into all things ultra-cycling.
Recently, track cycling legend Gordon Singleton passed away. Editors Matthew Pioro and Matt Hansen remember and pay tribute to the world champion and world-record holder from Niagara Falls, Ont.
This episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast is supported by the No. 22 Bicycle Company, makers of fine titanium bikes. Founders Mike Smith and Bryce Gracey check in to discuss their unique approach to bike construction, which is all done in North America.
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Kevin Field is back on the pod. Longtime listeners will remember Field as Mr. Moneyball of Canadian Cycling. For years he’s been analyzing data to help riders perform at their best at the top levels of the sport. Today, he’s the chair of the board of directors at Bridge the Gap, an organization that works with riders as they progress toward their pro cycling careers. He’s also on the board of Team Ecoflo Chronos, an under-23 outfit that supports young racers.
Field looks at some commonly held ideas about road cycling in Canada, and then takes a look at the numbers. The data shows interesting, and sometimes startling, trends. Is road racing really dead in North America? With our nation’s pros winning Tour de France stages and a Monument, is Canada truly in a good spot within the pro circuits? Finally, is road cycling all about the young superstars? Junior to pro—it’s the only way to go? Find out what the ever-insightful Field has to say about these topics.
This episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast is supported by the No. 22 Bicycle Company, makers of fine titanium bikes. Founders Mike Smith and Bryce Gracey check in to discuss their unique approach to bike construction, which is all done in North America.
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Dirty Reiver, Migration Gravel Race, bikepacking in the mountains of Turkey and Across Andes—these are some of the big rides that Sami Sauri took on this past year. In this episode, Sauri goes in-depth into how she managed these events. She talks about her gear choices for gravel races, and how she’s adapted to the way gravel racing is evolving. Sauri is also an accomplished photographer who brings her camera along on her rides. Learn why there’s never a conflict between Sauri’s two passions—cycling and photography—except for one time.
Listen to this extended interview with Sauri, presented with the support of YT Industries. Recently, YT released a 30-minute documentary about Sauri’s Migration Gravel Race, “The Wildest Gravel Race in the World.” Check out the doc and her one-of-a-kind YT Szepter gravel bike that she received for the challenging ride in Kenya.
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World championship wins in two disciplines, a repeat rainbow jersey on the track, World Cup wins in downhill and cross country, a Tour de France stage win and more—there were a lot of big performances by Canadian riders this past year. In this episode, Canadian Cycling Magazine‘s editors—Matthew Pioro, Matt Hansen and Terry McKall—present their top-five lists. You won’t believe what some of the editors cut, just to whittle their lists down to five top stories from 2023.
You can also listen back to interviews with the year’s biggest newsmakers:
A deep dive into Michael Woods’s Tour de France stage winIn-depth interview with Derek Gee on the Giro d’Italia and the seconds that count -
Cyclocross nationals is just a few days away. The competition is returning to Victoria as are many of the athletes who competed at last year’s event. In this episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast, six riders not only reflect on the significance of nationals, but also look back at their races so far this year, as well as what lies ahead.
There are former and current national champions—some of them multiple-time winners—Pan Am champions, champions in other disciplines and even a world champion. Two are actually not racing in Victoria, but their stories provide important context for nationals.
In all the interviews—with Michael van den Ham, Sidney McGill, Luke Valenti, Evan Russell, Rafaelle Carrier and Isabella Holmgren—the stars of CX reveal what it means to be Canadian cyclocross racers and discuss the challenges they face as they practise that muddy art.
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In March 2023, Nick Khattar and five others embarked on a 1,340-km bikepacking trip from Terrace, B.C., to Haines, Alaska. The riders pedalled hardtails and pulled trailers with splitboards strapped to them. They planned to ride, snowboard and record their adventures for a film. Not far into the trek, the team faced harrowing close-passes by trucks on the narrow highway. There was also bad weather, mechanical issues and the fatigue that comes with riding hard with heavy loads in the cold. Then, a true crisis happened in Jade City, B.C., about the halfway point of the trip. Three team members wouldn’t go on to Alaska.
Listen to this extended interview with Khattar as he unpacks the trip. Also, find out what made the difficult journey completely worth it.
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Derek Gee reveals a heartwarming story about how he came under the spell of the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal. Isabella and Ava Holmgren, two stars of cyclocross and cross country, find themselves with race duties in Montreal. Canadian Cycling Magazine’s photographer takes a hit. Plus, heartbreak for some Canadians at their home races. All these tales and more are mixed with tips about how you can plan your visit to Quebec’s largest cities to take in the races to their fullest next year.
Also, check out Nick Iwanyshyn’s photos from the races.
Plus, scandal! An Israel-Premier Tech rider had St-Hubert ribs in the lead-up to the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec.
Episode Highlights
6:39 13-year-old Derek Gee, a ride from Ottawa to Montreal and Thomas Voeckler’s gloves
14:16 Benjamin Perry on the significance of the GPCQM
29:41 Pan Am champ Pier-André Coté breaks down the Quebec City race soon after finishing
40:31 How the 2026 road world championships course in Montreal is shaping up.
46:51 A few laps in the Team Canada car at the GP Montreal. It’s not a car race!
1:01:17 Charlotte of the Ottawa Bicycle Club and her bottle basketball net.
1:02:49 An old friend of the pod, and former co-host, makes an appearance.
1:06:54 Success for Charlotte!
1:07:28 Ava and Isabella Holmgren have a job to do at the GP Montreal.
1:12:21 In this case, it was No. 1 that affected Derek Gee.
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He did it. But man, was it close. Michael Woods won a stage at the Tour de France this past July in a dramatic fashion on the Puy de Dôme. In this extended interview with Woods, the rider from Ottawa gets into the details of how it all came together, and how it all nearly fell apart. Find out about his relationship with Matteo Jorgenson, the rider whom Woods denied a win on Stage 9. Learn why Woods went for a trail run shortly after the Tour. Finally, who is the guy known as Disco and why is he so important to Woods?
Also in this episode, the Matts, Pioro and Hansen, look ahead to the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal. The two one-day races return in about two weeks. The Canadian Cycling Magazine editors break down the routes and likely key riders at North America’s only WorldTour events.
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