Hugo Houle and Guillaume Boivin did not ruminate on their non-inclusion in the Canadian team for the Paris Olympic Games. Just before, they will once again have the chance to participate in the Tour de France.
The two Quebec cyclists are part of the selection of eight riders from the Israel-Premier Tech team for the Tour, the big start of which will be given on June 29 in Florence.
If the choice of Houle, stage winner who will be in his sixth consecutive Grande Boucle, seemed probable, although far from certain in light of his last year, that of Boivin was no longer expected or almost .
“This is perhaps the selection that I am most proud of,” commented the 35-year-old veteran, who will be competing in the most important cycling race for the fourth year in a row. “The team gets stronger every year. Earning my place was not easy, but I managed to prove that I deserved it. It’s always an honor to be at the Tour de France. »
Even though he is the longest-serving IPT member, his road to the Tour has often been tortuous.
In 2020, Boivin joined the anti-COVID-19 bubble, but was chomping at the bit as a first reservist. He received the call he had hoped for the following year despite the arrival in the training of big names like Chris Froome, Dan Martin, André Greipel and his friend Michael Woods. Less than a week after arriving in Paris, he set off in Tokyo for his Olympic baptism.
Excluded from the lineup in 2022, he was repatriated at the last minute after the withdrawal of his Israeli teammate Omer Goldstein, who contracted COVID-19. Last year, the former Canadian champion was quite convinced of his chances.
This year, Boivin was almost resigned to not competing in a fourth consecutive Tour de France. After a calamitous spring, punctuated by illnesses, injuries and falls, he found his pedaling stroke last month. However, a positioning error approaching a key sector of the Brussels classic on June 2 prevented him from lending a hand to his teammate Pascal Ackermann for the final sprint.
“It wasn’t a question of my legs, because I felt great, but mentally I made mistakes and I missed the break in the Grammont wall. I should have been there, I had no excuse. It was a really bad race on my part. »
Consequence: the IPT sports management excluded him from the Tour de Suisse where he had to finalize his preparation before the Tour de France. “I understand that, it’s part of the sport. I was angry for a day or two, but I refocused. »
Redeployed for two Belgian events, the Quebecer approached them “with the knife between his teeth”, aware that he was playing his best.
On the attack during À travers du Hageland, a one-day semi-classic where he finished 13th, he was then in all the battles at the Baloise Belgium Tour. His team distinguished itself in the decisive stages, including the last one when Tom Van Asbroeck finished on the podium behind Tim Merlier and Jasper Philipsen, “pretty much the two best sprinters in the world,” according to Boivin. His compatriot Pier-André Côté also finished 10th overall.
In the end, this “kick in the ass…” from his bosses was probably providential. “It allowed me to do these races with little to nothing to lose. In a way, it may have had the opposite effect [than adding pressure]. I felt freer in these races in Belgium. I just had fun with a great group and very strong young people. »
Boivin spent Tuesday with his phone always in his hand, “his heart racing twenty beats per minute” with each ring or notification. Like his teammates who were on the long list for the Tour, he was anxious to see the name of his sports director Steve Bauer appear on the display. Around 6:30 p.m., the former Canadian yellow jersey announced the happy news to him.
“I thank the team because they told me: prove to us that you are good enough, fit and level enough to go to the Tour and we will take you. They were honest. They could have just put me down when I didn’t do the Tour de Suisse or the Dauphiné. »
“We put a lot of effort into it,” he stressed. We’ve been preparing for weeks. So having this shape to go to barbecues is not the objective. »
The winner of a Pyrenean stage in Foix in 2022 believes he is mainly rewarded for his versatility and “consistency” over the years. He has completed all eight three-week grand tours in which he has taken part.
“Every year there is always a certain risk when you decide to do the Tour. There’s a chance you won’t do it after all. It’s such a coveted race. An error in your preparation or bad luck can quickly sideline you too. »
As the day progressed, Houle learned that excellent colleagues were being left behind. In a way, the longer the call took, the better the omen.
“For the last places, honestly, it’s always very tense. Everyone is good. This is why doing the Tour is a privilege that I do not take lightly. »
After a first half of the season below his usual standards, the luxury servant reassured himself at the Critérium du Dauphiné by supporting his compatriot Derek Gee, winner of the first stage and third overall.
“I am not necessarily the strongest or the most impressive in terms of physical qualities,” Houle analyzed, “but I always offer a fairly stable level of performance which still makes me a safe bet. »
His ability to read the racing movements well in the particular dynamics of the Grande Boucle is another asset which has attracted his bosses, he believes.
Briton Jake Stewart will act as Ackermann’s pilot fish, Latvian striker Krists Neilands should also be used on all terrains, British puncher Stephen Williams will hunt the stages, while Dane Jakob Fuglsang, a great friend of Houle, will be road captain as in the Dauphiné.
Chris Froome was not selected like last year, which is not a surprise given his current level, but a recent incendiary article from L’Équipe suggested that the bosses of IPT wanted him return of the four-time British winner.
With a pure sprinter like Ackermann, Houle expects to “have work almost every day.” On a personal level, he would like to secure a place among the top five in a stage, believing his chances are better in the second half of the three-week event.
For the first time in history, the Tour de France will not end on the Champs-Élysées, due to the start of the Olympic Games, but rather with a time trial between Monaco and Nice, in the backyard of Hugo Houle.
In an ideal world, Houle would have quickly returned to the City of Lights for his third Olympics, but the Canadian selectors opted for Gee and Woods. This choice is well defended, both in his opinion and that of Boivin, who will take advantage of this break to get married at home in Andorra.