FOUR CANADIANS LINE UP FOR LA COURSE BY LE TOUR DE FRANCE
Ottawa, ON (August 27, 2020) – After competing at the Grand Prix de Plouay earlier this week, an impressive line-up of Canadians will be taking the start of La Course by Le Tour de France this Saturday, August 29th. The seventh edition of the UCI Women’s WorldTour event begins in Nice and promises to be a very memorable edition with four talented Canadians representing three different teams.
Two-time La Course medalist Leah Kirchmann (Team Sunweb) will be looking to compete for a podium position alongside her teammate Alison Jackson, who will be competing in this race for the first time since 2017.
“I’m looking forward to racing La Course this weekend with my team,” said Kirchmann. “It is great to see that the race will have a strong Canadian representation. I feel motivated to go for a top result after finishing twice on the podium in past editions of the race. The course is completely new this year and I think the profile suits my strengths as an all-rounder.”
Joining them will be Sara Poidevin (Rally Cycling), an up-and-coming climber who finished an impressive 14th at the 2018 UCI Road World Championships, and Marie-Soleil Blais (Cogeas-Mettler-Look Pro Cycling Team).
On the men’s side, Hugo Houle of Astana Pro Team will be the sole Canadian in the 107th edition of the Tour de France, his second consecutive start at the Grande Boucle. The race begins on the same day as La Course in Nice and features a hilly course that travels through the Pyrenees and Alps before a scheduled conclusion in Paris on September 20. Houle most recently competed at the Tour de Pologne and is part of a select group of pro racers to have competed at all five Monuments and three Grand Tours.
“I’m really happy to have the chance to race the Tour de France this year,” said Houle. “It’s not easy to get a place at the start so it’s always a nice recognition from the team. I’m healthy and fit and I hope that I can be an active rider and be in the breakaway when the moment comes. I feel like I have the legs for it and I think I will have more opportunities from the team than last year.”
To watch the race action live, head to FloBikes to stream La Course and the entire Tour de France.
La Course Roster
Marie-Soleil Blais – Cogeas-Mettler-Look Pro Cycling Team
Alison Jackson – Team Sunweb
Leah Kirchmann – Team Sunweb
Sara Poidevin – Rally Cycling
Le Tour de France Roster
Hugo Houle – Astana Pro Team
