Hugo Houle

Hugo Houle (born September 27, 1990) is a Canadian professional cyclist, who rides for UCI WorldTeam Alpecin–Premier Tech.

Career Born in Sainte-Perpétue, Centre-du-Québec, Quebec, Houle began racing triathlons, aged 10, alongside his brother, before focussing on cycling at the age of 16. He became acquainted with former professional cyclist Louis Garneau, who provided him with a team and equipment. Between 2008 and 2010, Houle combined cycling with completing a college degree in Québec. After graduating, he signed his first professional contract with Canadian team . Whilst at , Houle won the general classification of the Tour de Québec as well as a stage. He also finished third in the Canadian National Time Trial Championships in 2012, as well as finishing fourth at the under-23 road race at the 2012 UCI Road World Championships.

AG2R La Mondiale (2013–17) disbanded at the end of the 2012 season, and Houle moved to French professional team . During this time, he competed in the Giro d'Italia twice and the Vuelta a España once. He also won the time trial at the Pan American Games and the Canadian National Time Trial Championships in 2015. In 2016, he was officially named in Canada's 2016 Olympic team.

Astana (2018–21) In 2018, Houle signed for , becoming the first Canadian to sign for the team. He rode his first Tour de France in 2019. In September 2019, he extended his contract with through 2022. He represented Canada at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Israel–Premier Tech Despite holding a contract for the 2022 season with the ,

Having featured in the breakaway on the ninth stage of the Tour de France without success, Houle was involved in a successful breakaway four stages later with Mads Pedersen and Fred Wright; Houle led out the sprint in Saint-Étienne, but was beaten to the line by both Pedersen and Wright. Following the final rest day, Houle made his third breakaway of the race on stage 16. With remaining, Houle opened a gap on the rest of the breakaway and soloed away to win the stage by more than a minute ahead of Valentin Madouas and teammate Michael Woods. This made him only the second Canadian rider to win an individual stage in the Tour de France, after his directeur sportif Steve Bauer, who won the first stage in 1988. He then followed this up with second place overall, behind Andreas Leknessund, at the Arctic Race of Norway.

Personal life Houle's brother, Pierrick, was killed by a drunk driver in 2012 while out running. Since then, Houle has contributed to Opération Nez Rouge , a charity which aims to stop drunk-driving on the roads. Houle dedicated his win in Stage 16 of the 2022 Tour de France to his brother.

2010 1st Time trial, National Under-23 Road Championships 2011 National Under-23 Road Championships 1st Road race 1st Time trial 3rd Overall Tour de Québec 2012 National Road Championships 1st Under-23 time trial 3rd Time trial 1st Overall Tour de Québec 1st Stage 3 1st Mountains classification, Coupe des nations Ville Saguenay 2nd Overall Tour de Beauce 1st Young rider classification 4th Road race, UCI Under-23 Road World Championships 2014 2nd Time trial, National Road Championships 2015 (2 pro wins)

1st Time trial, National Road Championships 2016 2nd Overall Tour de Beauce 2017 5th Overall Boucles de la Mayenne 2018 4th Overall Tour Poitou-Charentes en Nouvelle-Aquitaine 8th Overall Danmark Rundt 2019 5th Overall Arctic Race of Norway 2021 (1) 1st Time trial, National Road Championships Combativity award Stage 10 Tour de France 2022 (1) Tour de France 1st Stage 16 Combativity award Stage 16 2nd Overall Arctic Race of Norway 2023 3rd Maryland Cycling Classic 8th Overall Étoile de Bessèges 2025 2nd Road race, National Road Championships

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

+ Legend — Did not compete DNF Did not finish