As Mike Woods (Israel-Premier Tech) closed in on Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar) on the upper slopes of the Puy de Dôme, French TV commentators could not stop repeating how brilliantly the Canadian climbing veteran had managed to time his ascent of the brutally difficult climb.
“He was two minutes down on Jorgenson at the bottom and he’s going to get come past him just in time near the top to win,” they pointed out.
That much was true. But as Woods told reporters after becoming the first non-European to triumph on the Puy de Dôme in the race’s 12 ascents, his managing to catch Jorgenson was not something he had calculated on being able to do. In fact, up until that point, just the opposite was true.
“I wish I could say it was all planned, I had wanted to be up front with Jorgenson when he attacked,” Woods said. “But it was just the way the cards played out.”
“I knew I was probably the most marked man in the group and didn’t play my cards super right. When I got to four kilometres to go” – and the steepest part of the ascent – “I didn’t even think about the win, just about time trialling it all the way to the top and getting the best result I could.”
When Johnny Weltz won on the Puy de Dôme back in 1988, the last time the Tour tackled the race, the Dane was a second-year pro. 35 years on, Woods admitted that at 36, he wasn’t quite inside the last chance saloon to get a Tour de France stage, but as he put it
“I was starting to feel the window was closing. But this was my career goal, the greatest result I’ve ever had.”
“I’m turning 37 this year, so I’m not getting any younger. And that the dream has come true now – I’m super proud and really grateful. I feel so fortunate to have so many great people behind – my family, my wife, my parents, my team…”
Woods said that the experience of racing on the Puy de Dôme, bereft of fans in the interests of nature conservation, both took him back to the years of COVID-19, when roadside supporters were also barred from the race, and to his first of two Vuelta a España wins, on the brutally steep Balcon de Bizkaia climb deep in the Basque Country.
“The thing was, it was deafening up to five kilometres to go, and then when the barriers started, it was silence, you were alone with your thoughts, trying to pick off the guys one by one.”
“It was a really cool climb, you could see it from ways away, it was so unique because there were no fans. It was almost like COVID racing a few years ago – so a beautiful climb, really cool climb.”
The rolling approach through central France, and then the ascent of the Puy de Dôme brought back memories of his 2018 Vuelta a España stage duel against Dylan Teuns five years ago at BMC, but now a teammate with Woods, racing alongside the Canadian at the Tour.
“Today was possibly one of the hardest climbs I could do, everybody was riding so hard throughout and we had those attacks from 60 kilometres to go. In 2018 in the Vuelta, when Teuns attacked I had to come back on him and suffer through those final metres. So in that sense, it was like the Puy de Dôme today.”
Woods was interrupted at one point during his press conference by Israel teammates Simon Clark – himself a stage winner in last year’s Tour – and fellow Canadian Hugo Houle, giving a victory hug and recounting how the race radio blackout on the Puy de Dôme had prevented them from knowing he had won.
But Woods delight at his first Tour de France triumph, and Israel-Premier Tech’s first WorldTour win of the 2023 season into the bargain, was plain to see in any case. And to take it on an ascent as mythical as Puy de Dôme only made it even more special.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Restricted free agent forward Isaac Okoro has agreed to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a three-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Okoro’s new deal is worth $38 million, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been signed or announced by the team.
ESPN.com first reported the agreement, citing Okoro’s representation.
The fifth overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, Okoro is Cleveland’s best perimeter defender, often drawing the assignment of guarding the opponent’s top scorer. Okoro also has worked to improve his offensive game.
The 23-year-old averaged 9.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 69 games — 42 starts — last season for the Cavs, who beat Orlando in the opening round of the playoffs before losing to eventual champion Boston.
Okoro shot a career-best 39% on 3-pointers, forcing teams to come out and guard him.
His agreement caps an extraordinarily busy summer for the Cavs that began with coach J.B. Bickerstaff being fired and replaced by Kenny Atkinson. All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell signed a three-year, $150 million extension in July, ending months of speculation that he wanted out of Cleveland.
Also, power forward Evan Mobley signed a five-year, $224 deal and center Jarrett Allen signed a three-year, $91 million extension.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic fell 6-4, 6-3 to Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open tennis tournament on Friday.
The 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., won 61 per cent of her first-serve points and broke on just one of her six opportunities.
Stakusic had upset top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) on Thursday night to advance.
In the opening round, Stakusic defeated Slovakia’s Anna Karolína Schmiedlová 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday.
The fifth-seeded Frech won 62 per cent of her first-serve points and converted on three of her nine break point opportunities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
TORONTO – Alejandro Kirk’s long single with the bases loaded provided the Toronto Blue Jays with a walk-off 4-3 win in the 11th inning of their series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
With the Cardinals outfield in, Kirk drove a shot off the base of the left-field wall to give the Blue Jays (70-78) their fourth win in 11 outings and halt the Cardinals’ (74-73) two-game win streak before 30,380 at Rogers Centre.
Kirk enjoyed a two-hit, two-RBI outing.
Erik Swanson (2-2) pitched a perfect 11th inning for the win, while Cardinals reliever Ryan Fernandez (1-5) took the loss.
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman enjoyed a seven-inning, 104-pitch outing. He surrendered his two runs on nine hits and two walks and fanned only two Cardinals.
He gave way to reliever Genesis Cabrera, who gave up a one-out homer to Thomas Saggese, his first in 2024, that tied the game in the eighth.
The Cardinals started swiftly with four straight singles to open the game. But they exited the first inning with only two runs on an RBI single to centre from Nolan Arendao and a fielder’s choice from Saggese.
Gausman required 28 pitches to escape the first inning but settled down to allow his teammates to snatch the lead in the fourth.
He also deftly pitched out of threats from the visitors in the fifth, sixth and seventh thanks to some solid defence, including Will Wagner’s diving stop, which led to a double play to end the fifth inning.
George Springer led off with a walk and stole second base. He advanced to third on Nathan Lukes’s single and scored when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knocked in his 95th run with a double off the left-field wall.
Lukes scored on a sacrifice fly to left field from Spencer Horwitz. Guerrero touched home on Kirk’s two-out single to right.
In the ninth, Guerrero made a critical diving catch on an Arenado grounder to throw out the Cardinals’ infielder, with reliever Tommy Nance covering first. The defensive gem ended the inning with a runner on second base.
St. Louis starter Erick Fedde faced the minimum night batters in the first three innings thanks to a pair of double plays. He lasted five innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
ON DECK
Toronto ace Jose Berrios (15-9) will start the second of the three-game series on Saturday. He has a six-game win streak.
The Cardinals will counter with righty Kyle Gibson (8-6).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
