When Mike Woods began the 2022 Tour de France, the Israel-Premier Tech said his initial goal was not to crash in the first week, and he almost made it.
But after narrowly missing out on the break to Planche des Belles Filles on stage 7, very early on stage 9 Woods fell heavily, scraping his back and glute and riding injured all day.
Fast forward a week and after getting in the break to Mende, physically the 35-year-old is well on the recovery trail, he told Cyclingnews before the stage 15 start on Sunday morning. But although "still not back to where I was before crashing," Woods said, his aim is to go into the trio of Pyrenean stages in good enough condition to fight for a win.
However, while focused on the Tour's third week, Woods is also looking beyond July, with more than half an eye on doing the Vuelta a España, prior to the autumn Italian Classics, both of which have proved happy hunting grounds for the Israel-Premier Tech pro in the past.
"I'm suffering, just coming back from the crash [on stage 9], I feel better every day but it's been a struggle," Woods said.
"There have been quite a few days that have been suited to me and specially yesterday [stage 14] was one I really had circled on the calendar."
"But I'm not at 100 percent after my crash, I have some issues with my glute and my hip, and I've still been recovering."
Crashes have proved an all-too-familiar element of Woods' previous Tour participations. In 2019, his first Tour participation, Woods soldiered on to Paris despite taking multiple falls and suffering multiple injuries, including two broken ribs. Then in 2021, on the same day Woods began a brief spell as Tour King of the Mountains, he also crashed again, on a high-speed descent.
"Crashes have always held me back at the Tour," Woods agreed. "And I'm always bad after a crash, that's just the way I am, it takes me a solid week to get back.
"So I'm hoping the recovery timeline lines up with the final three mountain days of Tour."
Currently 47th overall, Woods said he was in no way picky about which stage he might try to go for in the Pyrenees, starting Tuesday. "I'll take any," he said brightly.
"Hautacam [stage 18] looks good. I always love the Pyrenees. I live in the Pyrenees, and I know the area well,. So hopefully I'll be back to full form on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday."
Israel-Premier Tech were hit by a COVID-19 positive on Sunday after stage 5 winner Simon Clarke was forced to abandon, but there is little more to be done, Woods said, than to soldier on for now and hope the virus does not strike again.
"That's the nature of the sport, most teams have been affected by this," Woods said. "We've been really good with our protocol and everyone else tested negative today [Sunday]. So it sucks to see him go but that's the nature of the beast right now."
The other external 'beast' currently assailing the Tour is the extreme heat, but Woods says that provided he has had time to adapt, the high temperatures simply are another tough element that goes with the territory.
"I'm good in the heat if I'm adapted," he said, pointing to different experiences in races held in sweltering temperatures as evidence of that.
"I did the Mont Ventoux race a few weeks back and it was absolutely horrible and I blew. But then I got adapted, did Occitanie and did quite well," winning the race outright, "in potentially hotter weather than today [Sunday]."
"I don't love racing in 40 degrees, nobody does, it's very uncomfortable. But that's pro cycling in a nutshell: it's uncomfortable."
Further down the line, Woods said, after his crash-blighted first half of the Tour, he's beginning to "try to take a bigger perspective as opposed to being so focused on what's in front of me."
"There's still lots of racing left here next week so I really am focused on that, but then I'll be looking at San Sebastian, likely the Vuelta a España and then the Italian Classics."
"I like to do two Grand Tours in a season, I'm normally better after my first one, so I'll give it a go."
