BALCON DE BIZKAIA, Spain — Canada's Michael Woods earned an emotional victory in the 17th stage of the Spanish Vuelta.
The Ottawa cyclist outlasted the field in a
Woods crossed the line five seconds in front of Dylan Teuns and 10 seconds ahead of David de la Cruz.
"It's a special moment for me. I was very moved on the finish line," the 31-year-old Woods said. "My coach was in the car and in the final 500
Woods said that his wife also lost her father a month ago.
"It's been a very hard year," he said. "I was cracked on the finish line. I tried to stay calm, I tried to think of my family and to think of my little Hunter as an inspiration."
This was the first stage win at a Grand Tour race for the rider from team Education First-Drapac.
Woods is the second Canadian in history to win a Spanish Vuelta stage. Ryder Hesjedal of Victoria won stages in 2009 and 2014.
Woods is 35th overall in the event.
Meanwhile, Simon Yates lost a few seconds of his Spanish Vuelta lead.
Yates' gap to Alejandro Valverde was cut from 33 seconds to 25 seconds after a solid climb by the veteran Spaniard.
Enric Mas also had a good run and moved up to third place overall, 1 minute, 22 seconds behind Yates.
"There's still a lot of racing to come, hard stages ahead. The gaps are still small behind me," Yates said. "Nobody really attacked in the climb. There's no shame in losing a few seconds to Valverde and Mas in such a finale. I truly believe Andorran stages are much better for me. Of the stages left, this is the one I feared most. I know Andorra very well and I think the climbs suit me very well."
Nairo Quintana struggled the most, losing more than a minute and dropping out of the top 5 in the general classification.
No changes at the top are expected on Thursday, when riders will face a flat 186.
The three-week Grand Tour race ends Sunday in Madrid.
The Associated Press
