Woods: Israel Start-Up Nation to be opportunistic at Tour de France

Tour de Suisse 2021 - 85th Edition - 8th stage Andermatt - Andermatt 159,5 km - 13/06/2021 - Passo del Gottardo - Michael Woods (NZL - Israel Start-Up Nation) - Mattia Cattaneo (ITA - Deceuninck - Quick-Step) - photo Annegret Turk/BettiniPhoto©2021
Michael Woods (Israel Start-Up Nation) during the final stage of the Tour de Suisse (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

On Saturday, Michael Woods will lead a team into the Tour de France for the first time in his career, heading up the eight-man Israel Start-Up Nation selection as he returns to the race after making his debut back in 2019.

The Canadian heads to Brest in arguably the best form of his pro career so far, having finished fifth and won the mountains jersey at the Tour de Suisse, picking up a second place on the final mountain stage along the way. Speaking to Cyclingnews days before the start of Le Grand Boucle in Brittany, Woods said he is looking forward to racing aggressively and relishing the prospect of leading Israel Start-Up Nation at the Tour.

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Dani Ostanek
Senior News Writer

Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, joining in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Before joining the team, they had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur.

Dani has reported from the world's top races, including the Tour de France, Road World Championships, and the spring Classics. They have interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars, including Mathieu van der Poel, Demi Vollering, and Remco Evenepoel. Their favourite races are the Giro d'Italia, Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix.

Season highlights from the 2024 season include reporting from Paris-Roubaix –  'Unless I'm in an ambulance, I'm finishing this race' – Cyrus Monk, the last man home at Paris-Roubaix – and the Tour de France – 'Disbelief', gratitude, and family – Mark Cavendish celebrates a record-breaking Tour de France sprint win.