Rider Profile
Michael Woods
Israel-Premier Tech
Personal Details:
Teams history:
- 2024 - Israel-Premier Tech
- 2023 - Israel-Premier Tech
- 2022 - Israel-Premier Tech
- 2021 - Israel Start–Up Nation
- 2020 - EF Pro Cycling
- 2019 - EF Education First
- 2018 - EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
- 2017 - Cannondale-Drapac
- 2016 - Cannondale-Drapac
- 2015 - Canada
- 2014 - Canada
Biography:
Climbing star Michael Woods, born October 12, 1986 in Toronto, Canada, turned professional in 2013 at the age of 26 with a Continental team Quebec after making a switch from middle-distance running following a series of injuries.
He claimed his first major result with a stage 5 victory at the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah in 2015 with Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies, his fourth Continental team across four seasons. He called that uphill win in Salt Lake City one that “certainly changed my cycling career and my life”.
Woods then moved into the WorldTour the next year with the Slipstream team Cannondale, where he rode for the next five seasons. In 2016 he finished fifth overall at Santos Tour Down Under and second at Milano-Torino. He claimed his first GC top 10 placing in a Grand Tour with seventh in the 2017 Vuelta a España, finishing third on a mountaintop finish too Alto de Puig Llorença on stage 9.
In 2018, he clinched a second place in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, third in the Road World Championships and his first-ever Grand Tour stage win, a summit finish in the Vuelta at the Balcon de Bizkaia. In 2019 he finished his first Tour de France, without much fanfare, and later scored a victory in the Italian autumn Classic Milano-Torino and was second at Giro dell’Emilia. The Canadian followed that in 2020 with a stage in Tirreno-Adriatico, another stage win in the Vuelta and third at La Flèche Wallonne.
In 2021, his first year with Israel Start-Up Nation, he enjoyed one of his best seasons yet, winning stages at the Tour du Var and Tour de Romandie. He also managed to find his way into the top five at La Flèche Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Tour de Suisse, the Tour of Britain and the Tokyo Olympics road race.
In 2022 he claimed his first-ever stage race overall, the Route d'Occitanie in France, and returned to defend his title the next season.
Crashes and injuries have marred three Tour de France performances, but in 2023 he broke onto the winner’s spot atop the mythical ascent to Puy de Dôme.
Key Results
2023
🥇 Stage win at Tour de France
🥇 One stage and GC at La Route d'Occitanie
🥈 CIC - Mont Ventoux
2022
🥇 One stage and GC at La Route d'Occitanie
🥇 One stage at Gran Camiño
🥈 Mercan'Tour Classic Alpes-Maritimes
🥈 GC, points classification and mountains classification at Gran Camiño
2021
🥇 One stage of Tour de Romandie
🥇 Mountains classification at Tour de Suisse
🥇 One stage at Tour des Alpes Maritimes
🥈 GC and points classification at Tour des Alpes Maritimes
🥉 Giro dell’Emilia
🥉 One stage at Tour de France
Fifth Olympic Games road race
2020
🥇 One stage at Vuelta a España
🥇 One stage of Tirreno-Adriatico
🥈 Two stages at Vuelta a España
🥉 La Flèche Wallonne
2019
🥇 Milano-Torino
🥈 Giro dell'Emilia
🥉 GC at Herald Sun Tour
2018
🥇 One stage at Vuelta a España
🥈 Liège - Bastogne - Liège
🥈 One stage at Giro d’Italia
🥉 World Championships road race
2017
🥈 Gran Premio Miguel Indurain
🥉 One stage at Vuelta a España
2016
🥇 One stage at Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah
🥈 Milano-Torino
🥈 One stage and GC at Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah
Related Articles
Tour de France: Michael Woods crashes in the breakaway but takes polka-dot jersey
By Cyclingnews last updated
News "I’m really happy to be in the jersey, the only thing I'm disappointed about is that I crashed" says Canadian
Woods draws up battle plans for Tour de France mountains jersey
By Alasdair Fotheringham published
News Canadian eyes Andorra and Ventoux stages this week
Woods 'comes apart' in sight of Tour de France breakaway win
By Cyclingnews published
News Canadian cracks at the top of the Col de la Colombière
Michael Woods: It was important to send a signal to the UCI about safety at the Tour de France
By Stephen Farrand published
News Canadian calls for riders to emulate North American sports and become more united
Michael Woods, not Chris Froome, to lead Israel Start-Up Nation at Tour de France
By Cyclingnews last updated
News Team confirm that Canadian will head GC challenge in France
Woods: Israel Start-Up Nation to be opportunistic at Tour de France
By Daniel Ostanek published
News Team to be aggressive and chase stage wins as well as support Canadian leaders' overall ambitions
Greipel, Martin confirmed alongside Woods and Froome for Tour de France
By Cyclingnews published
News Team to target sprint and mountain stages, while Woods focuses on overall classification
Tour de Romandie: A story of redemption
By Kate Wagner last updated
Feature From a sprinter finally claiming his prize at a climber's race to a GC win that wipes away the sting of a crash in sight of the line
Blogs
-
'Untapped gold' in store for inaugural RADL GRVL in South Australia
Nathan Haas calls gravel course 'raw, fast, exciting' after pre-ride with co-founder Valtteri Bottas -
UCI Gravel Worlds - new course, same criticisms cast doubt on event
Nathan Haas hears feedback from fellow riders on course elevation being 'selective without being stupid' -
Nathan Haas blog: We need to talk about the Unbound mud pit
Was it wrong to not re-route the course? -
Ellen van Dijk - Leading by example
'I have the chance to show the world how normal it should be to perform at a top level as a mother' -
Rukhsar Habibzai - The day I left home
'It is a story shared by thousands of Afghans. It is the day we left home, left our souls and left Afghanistan'