On Friday afternoon, Ottawa’s Michael Woods won the mountainous 13th stage of the Spanish Grand Tour, the Vuelta a España, in stunning fashion. Woods wore a customized Canadian national champion jersey, designed by Israel-Premier Tech and Ekoi as a tribute to the iconic 1996 Atlanta Olympic Team Canada track and field kit.
Woods established himself in a breakaway early in the stage and dropped the other riders to finish the 176-kilometre (109-mile) route from Lugo, Spain, to Puerto de Ancares 45 seconds ahead of runner-up Mauro Schmid of Switzerland. This victory marks the third career stage win at the Vuelta a España for Woods.
The unique Canada jersey Woods wore has a special story behind it. After winning the Canadian national championships road race earlier this summer, Woods was asked by his pro team, Israel-Premier Tech, about his preferences for his national champion kit. Woods requested a nostalgic design that captured the essence of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic track and the feel of an old-school Team Canada hockey jersey. The result was a jersey that Woods proudly showcased during his Vuelta stage win.
Former Canadian track star Michael Woods wins Tour de France stage
Woods said on his Instagram that he was thrilled with how the jersey turned out.
The 1996 Canada kit holds a special place in Canadian sports history, famously worn by sprint icon Donovan Bailey and the men’s 4x100m relay team, who both won gold in Atlanta. Bailey’s performance, where he set a new world record of 9.84 seconds, solidified his place as only the second Canadian sprinter to win the men’s 100m at an Olympic Games. The red slashed maple leaf on the jersey pays homage to the 1991 Canada Cup Team Canada ice hockey jersey.
Before transitioning to pro cycling, Woods had a successful career in other sports. He grew up playing hockey and excelled in track and field, winning a gold medal in the 1,500m at the 2005 Pan American Junior Championships. He is also one of the few Canadian men to have run a sub-four-minute mile. Woods attended the University of Michigan on a track scholarship, and after graduating in 2008, he turned his focus to cycling.
