Israel – Premier Tech’s Mike Woods once said that cycling is a “cruel cruel sport.” Well, it definitely can be a roller coaster. The former national champion was set to finish off his 14-year career on home turf at Les Grand Prix Cyclistes de Quebec et de Montreal. But, unfortunately fate has other plans.
In a tweet, his squad said Woodsy fell ill and will have to skip the last two races.
The Canadian cycling star announced in August in his blog that he will retire at the end of 2025. This marks the end of a career that saw him become one of Canada’s greatest road riders. The 38-year-old former middle-distance runner—famously the first athlete to both run a sub-four-minute mile and complete the Tour de France.
The Ottawa native rose through North American and European Continental squads. Ultimately he joined Cannondale-Drapac (now EF Education-EasyPost) in 2016, where he earned podiums at Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the world championships. Woods also claimed two Vuelta a España stages. He moved to Israel-Premier Tech in 2021. He added back-to-back La Route d’Occitanie titles and a career-defining Tour de France stage win atop the Puy de Dôme in 2023.
This year, his last with IPT, Woods endured injury and illness but still animated breakaways in his thirteenth Tour de France before finishing 52nd. With 16 professional victories since his 2015 breakthrough in Utah, Woods will cap his career at the upcoming Grands Prix Cyclistes in Québec and Montréal, retiring as a national champion and one of Canada’s most decorated cyclists.
Canadian Cycling Magazine is on the scene for the WorldTour races, so check this space for interviews, reports and photos!