Hugo Houle makes history by winning the 16th stage of the Tour de France

This Tuesday, July 19, 2023, Hugo Houle came to make history by winning during the 16th stage of the Tour of France , in Foix. He is the first Quebecer to win a stage on the Grande Boucle and the second Canadian. So he made his country proud, which had been waiting for this event since 1988. This victory is all the more satisfying due to the fact that few people expected it, Hugo Houle not being one of the favorites.

The second Canadian to win a stage of the Tour de France

It is with immense joy that the Canadians learned of the victory of their athlete, Hugo Houle, during the 16th stage of the Tour de France. The latter had not lived this moment since the victory of Steve Bauer , in 1988. This one is also the current sports director of the Israel-Premier Tech team, the one in which Hugo Houle runs. He was therefore all the more happy with the victory of his colt.

This stage was also far from easy, in a Tour marked by many falls and accidents. The circuit was indeed passing through mountains of high categories and all this, under intense heat. The Canadian also offered us a breathless end to the race, he who started solo 40 kilometers from the finish line. This daring decision, which many saw as futile, finally proved to be a winner. Long 30 seconds behind his pursuer, Houle finished the race with more than a minute in advance on the second. He himself could not believe that he had achieved this real feat.

A victory that was immediately congratulated by Canadian personalities such as the Mayor of Montreal who hastened to twitter "What a spectacular feat! Congratulations Hugo Houle for this historic victory! ». She was quickly imitated by the Prime minister in person, François Legault.

A victory that was foreshadowed

Despite the fact that Hugo Houle was far from a favorite, his victory on the 16th stage of the Tour de France was not unlikely. Some had noticed his rise in power and his recent good performances during the previous week.

Indeed, a few days earlier, he had already signed a blow of brilliance during the 13th stage by finishing 3rd. It was a very good performance that portended great things for the future. Then even with the big week, heavy in crossings of mountains and steep coasts, Swell resisted and continued the convincing performances. So it's not such a big surprise to see him win a stage on this Tour.

A nice reward after a complicated journey

At the age of 31, this superb victory rewards a career of Cycling which will not always have been easy. It was notably marked by the death of his younger brother , killed in 2012 by a drunk driver, while he was jogging. Ten years later, he still remains very emotional when he talks about it and thinks about him during each of these races. In particular, we could hear him say " This one is for my brother ", during the hug with his teammates who came to congratulate him. This is surely what gave him the necessary strength to hold on and win in Foix.

Then, despite his advanced age and his long professional career, Hugo Houle had never managed to distinguish himself and make a name for himself on the cycling scene. It is appreciated by the circuit, but is far from being one of the best known. He had notably participated in the Quebec Games by bike, without encountering a great success . But his perseverance eventually paid off and he can be proud today to have marked the history of Quebec and Canada by winning this stage on the Grande Boucle.