Hugo Houle and Guillaume Boivin will not be entitled to a long vacation after concluding the Tour de France on Sunday in Paris.
The day after a festive team dinner after arriving on the Champs-Élysées, the two representatives of Israel-Premier Tech were thinking of resting in view of their next objective, the road race at the World Championships in Glasgow on August 6.
“The way I feel, I think I’m in good shape,” Houle said Monday. I’m very tired and I need to recover. But we have two weeks. Normally, if I follow the trend of the last few years, I should be pretty much at my peak by then. »
Boivin is in the same frame of mind. “The World Championships are coming fast,” noted the 34-year-old cyclist.
By virtue of the UCI points accumulated in the past year and the Pan American title won by Pier-André Côté in the spring, the Canadian men’s team will be able to count on seven starters in Scotland, one less than the majority of the major nations.
“I haven’t spoken to the national team yet, but I definitely hope to be a protected rider,” Houle said.
Seventeenth in his last appearance in Belgium in 2021, Boivin also wants to distinguish himself in the 277.6 km event.
“I particularly like these circuit races. I haven’t seen it in person yet, but from what I understand it’s a great course for me. I can’t wait to be there and put on a great performance. »
The two cyclists drew a positive balance sheet of their Tour de France. “It was probably my best Tour to date,” said Boivin, who was on his third outing.
“It’s been good in the last week. It was going well in the sprints with Corbin [Strong, 9th on stage 21]. »
The Longueuil native also derives satisfaction from the way he rode at the start of the 19th stage to bring back a missed breakaway by his team.
“We worked pretty hard to rectify the situation. It’s fun to see that the legs were good in the last week and that we could have an impact on the race. In general, we can be very proud of what we have done as a team. »
Houle was one of the main beneficiaries of this frantic hunt. He blamed himself for not being able to take advantage of it when the event was relaunched in favor of the Slovenian Matej Mohoric. He finished 16th in this stage which ended in Poligny, his second result after his 13th place in the mountains in Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc.
Failing to have won a stage like in 2022, Houle was one of the five cyclists who rode most often at the front of the peloton.
“I was proud to be in the race and to be a part of it. It is still significant. It shows that I was present every day. »
Looking back, Houle would change two things about his preparation. His camp high in Andorra was disrupted by cold weather and snowfall. The weather is generally milder in the Canary Islands, where he used to be. The absence of his regular massage therapist also affected his recovery at this same camp. It is already certain that he will accompany him everywhere next year.
“Last year, he had been with me 100% of the time. At some point, you get used to the treatments you receive. It helps to always have the same one. He is top notch. It’s the best I’ve ever had. It still makes a difference. »
After the Worlds, Houle must participate in the Arctic Race of Norway, where he finished second last year, while Boivin will relaunch in the Renewi Tour (former Tour du Benelux). In September, they will meet again at the Classic of Maryland before reconnecting with their public at the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec (8) and Montreal (10).
No unemployment for them. “You have to work all the time, huh,” Houle joked before hopping on his flight to Nice.
