'I gave a thumbs up to the camera because I knew I got it' Ottawa cyclist climbs to stage win at the Tour de France

After more than 180 kilometers of racing, Michael Woods couldn't help but smile when he realized he was about to win a stage of the Tour de France.

"I gave a thumbs up to the camera because I knew I got it, and I was super excited and on the radio, I could hear the guys yelling and screaming and it was a really nice sensation- it was awesome."

The 36-year-old cyclist climbed his way to victory in stage 9 of the Tour de France, after a grueling day that covered more than 180 kilometers, and more than 3,500 metres of climbing.

Woods says the first thing he felt was relief. "I put a lot of pressure on myself, and I really wanted a stage win. It has been a career goal, a life goal, and to finally achieve that, especially at my age. I really felt like the window of opportunity was closing, and I don't have too many tours left in my career, so it was relief."

The Tour de France is the most watched annual event, attracting millions of viewers every day. This year, cyclists will travel more than 3,500 kilometers across France. It includes eight massive mountain climbs through the Pyrenees and Alps. It finishes in Paris on July 23.

Woods is only the third Canadian cyclist to win a stage of the Tour de France and the first from Ottawa.

Stage 9 finished on the summit of the Puy de Dome, on an iconic volcanic crater in the south-central of France. Because it is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site, no fans were allowed along the final four kilometers. Woods says, "Five kilometers to go there was just such big crowds … The sound was literally deafening, I couldn't hear anything. Once we entered the gated area for the climb, it was total juxtaposition, where you went from this noise to nothing. My ears were literally ringing. I was just alone with my thoughts."

Woods came to cycling late in life. As a highly successful nationally ranked runner, he dreamed of representing Canada on the track. Woods attended Hillcrest High School and the University of Michigan. He won gold in the 1500m at the 2005 Pan American Junior Championships and has set Canadian national junior records in the mile and 3000m. But a series of injuries forced him to retire. He picked up his dad's bike as a way to cross-train and left off steam.

It was long-time friend Luc Mahler who suggested that Woods try racing on the bike.

"Mike and I met when he was running, he was nursing an injury and my friends and I were going for a bike ride. As the most fit person I ever know, he decided to come and that was the start of a pretty amazing career."

Mahler says Woods had a lot to learn but had amazing potential and a competitive spirit. "He had no idea what he was doing, always showed up with grease all over him, like he had wrestled the bike the whole way, we would ask him, and he was like ‘I just pulled this out of the garage and don't know what happened!'"

He says this victory is not surprising. "If you have known him, he has always dreamed big and executed on his dreams. He is the type of guy where you say, ‘they should make a movie about this guy!'"

Woods is also thankful for the continued support from his hometown. "It is special. Ottawa is my hometown, I love Ottawa, I love being from Ottawa, I am really proud of the city."

Woods represented Canada in two Olympic Games including Tokyo where he finished fifth in the men's road race. He currently lives in Andorra with his wife Elly and their two kids Maxine and Willy. They plan on returning to live in the national capital region one day.

But Woods says despite the best result of his career, he still has big goals for the rest of the tour. "This victory yesterday has already made the tour a big success for me, it is the biggest result of my career, and it takes a lot of pressure off not just me but my team. It gives us more freedom to go after stage. I kind of have this freedom – I get to go after stages without any worry about failure."

Woods's teammate Derek Gee, who is also from Ottawa, had a highly successful Giro d'Italia in May, with several podium stage finished. Woods says this is just the beginning for cyclist from Ottawa.

Mahler says, "I think it is obvious that this town has a lot of potential, even for a town with no mountains that is kind of landlocked in the middle of Canada. Obviously, we have a development system that knows how to produce a lot of talent, at an international level."

Woods says, "It is a possibility now, more than ever. When I was younger cycling wasn't really a possibility certainly for someone from Ottawa but thanks to our (Israel-Premier Tech's team owner) Sylvan Adams we have Israeli-Canadian team, we have four Canadians on the team, but we also have a development team that helps a lot of young Canadians on the team."

"The sky is the limit if you have big dream and good legs," says Woods.