FOIX, France — Hugo Houle pointed at the sky as he crossed the finish line well ahead of the competition in Stage 16 of the Tour de France.
After finishing the hilly 178.5-kilometre stage through the Pyrenees from Carcassonne to Foix in four hours 23 minutes 47 seconds — 1:10 ahead of France's Valentin Madouas and Israel-Premier Tech teammate Michael Woods of Ottawa — Houle dedicated his historic win to his younger brother.
Pierrik Houle died in December 2012 when he was hit by a car while jogging. He was 19. "I had one dream, to win the stage for my brother," Houle said after the race.
Houle, from Sainte-Perpetue, Que., realized that dream when he raced to his first Grand Tour stage win on Tuesday, and the first stage win by a Canadian at the Tour de France in 34 years.