Canadian Michael Woods, who won stages in the Tour de France and Spanish Vuelta after taking up cycling at the age of 25, has announced his retirement at the end of the current season.
The 38-year-old from Ottawa made the announcement in a blog, saying the time is right.
"I am now 11 years deep into doing this sport as a profession, and another two as an amateur," he wrote. "The toll it has taken on my health has been significant, and the time I have spent away from my family has been long."
Woods, who rides for the Israel-Premier Tech team, competed in five editions of both the Tour de France and Spanish Vuelta and three editions of the Giro d'Italia.
"Every time I do a race, I feel an immense sense of luck to be doing it, as it is truly a pure luxury constructed by our own creativity," he said.
"Riding around France, while literally billions of people watch, is my job, and that is nuts. What puts food on my table and a roof over my head has been riding a bike 30,000-35,000 kilometres every year across all parts of the globe-for the entertainment of others."
But the sport has taken its toll, both on his body and his family.
"Being a father, in particular, has shown me how at odds being one of the best riders in the world is with being a good dad," he wrote. "Unlike most sports, pro cycling, due to its extensive calendar, is a job that requires unending commitment.
"For the past five years, I have avoided giving my kids kisses when I pick them up from school in an attempt to prevent getting sick before a race. That is strange. More often than not, I sleep in another room, separate from my family, in an effort to optimize my sleep. Every aspect of my life has been examined and studied to maximize my ability to ride a bike. That all-encompassing pursuit I have loved and have no regrets doing, but it is something that can only be sustained for so long."
Woods, an accomplished climber, won the ninth stage of the 2023 Tour de France, becoming the third Canadian to win a stage in the storied race.
Israel-Premier Tech teammate Hugo Houle won the 16th stage of the 2022 Tour. Steve Bauer, who serves as sporting manager with Israel-Premier Tech, was the first Canadian to win a stage — in 1988.
A former world-class runner, Woods switched to cycling due to injury.
A Pan American junior champion over 1,500 metres, he earned a track scholarship at the University of Michigan. But his Olympic dream was blocked by a recurrent stress fracture in his foot.
He struggled for close to four years with the injury, which he believes was due to overtraining. He broke his foot the first time in 2007 and again in 2009. His last attempt at a track comeback ended with another break in 2011.
During rehab, he used to get on his dad's bike and go for a spin. To help make ends meet, he spent eight months as a bank teller and managed a running shoe store.
Not the usual path to the Tour de France.
"Considering I started this sport at 25 years old, on a $1,000 bike gifted to me by my parents, knowing nothing about it, is insane. I thought, 'I was once one of the best runners in the world. Why can’t I be one of the best cyclists in the world?'"
Racing took its toll with Woods, who was sidelined by both crashes and illness throughout his career
Woods raced in the 2019 Tour with two broken ribs after a crash in the 11th stage. In 2020, he fractured his right femur in a crash during the fifth stage of Paris-Nice race.
Earlier this year he fractured his collarbone in a crash at the Milano-Torino one-day race and had to quit the Tour de Suisse due to illness.
Woods competed in three Olympic road races.
He made his debut at Rio 2016, finishing 55th after breaking his hand in three places just a few weeks before the Games. He placed fifth in Tokyo, Canada’s second-best Olympic result in the event, and 41st at the Paris Olympics.
Woods won bronze in the road race at the 2018 UCI World Championships, the first medal by a Canadian man in the event in 34 years.
Also in 2018, Woods was the first Canadian to ever reach the podium in the one-day classic Liège-Bastogne-Liège, finishing second. He earned his first victory in a one-day road race at the Milano-Torino in October 2019.
In his blog, Woods hinted at his future plans after cycling,
"As they say, though, all good things must come to an end. I still have big ambitions and plans for the coming years that will involve exploring new arenas in endurance sports (I’ve got some epic plans, so stay tuned for these). But, for the reasons mentioned above, I have made the decision to retire from professional road cycling at the end of this season."
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 19, 2025.
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
