Hugo Houle Claims First Grand Tour Podium Finish at Tour de France Stage 13

Israel – Premier Tech secured another podium spot at this year’s Tour de France with Hugo Houle finishing third on stage 13.

“I’m really happy with the way I raced today. This is a good step forward and it gives me even more motivation for the next stages,” expressed Houle after the finish.

Stage 13 presented challenging terrain and sweltering weather conditions, making it a prime opportunity for breakaways to succeed. Numerous attacks occurred early on, and a seven-rider group gained an advantage over the peloton. Houle seized the chance to join the breakaway.

The sprint teams were determined not to let the breakaway go easily, and the gap never grew larger than a few minutes. However, the strength of the leading group proved to be enough to maintain their advantage.

On the final climb, Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) launched an attack, with Houle and Fred Wright (Bahrain-Victorious) able to keep up with the pace. The trio worked together effectively, and it became apparent that the race winner would come from this small group. Houle led the way into the final kilometer, but it was Pedersen who ultimately claimed the victory. For Israel – Premier Tech’s 31-year-old Canadian cyclist, it was a momentous achievement as he crossed the finish line in third place, marking his first-ever podium finish in a Grand Tour.

“The guys are solid sprinters, and I’m a bit limited with my weight here, but I am really happy that I could stay with Mads Pedersen in the final and get third place. With the breakaway that we had, I think I can be proud of this result. That’s my best race ever in the Tour, and I’m moving one step forward in the right direction to get that win, but I showed today that I am in shape and was there when I needed to be,” Houle commented.