'Nothing is ever too much for him' - Chris Froome full of praise for 'selfless' Hugo Houle after emotional win

Chris Froome has hailed his Israel-Premier Tech team-mate Hugo Houle as «absolutely selfless» after the Canadian's emotional Stage 16 win. Houle secured the first win on the road of his professional career, escaping from a large breakaway that also included team-mate Michael Woods and descending superbly to claim the stage by a commanding margin into Foix. Ad/> The 31-year-old pointed to the sky as he crossed the line, dedicating his victory to his late brother Pierrik, who was killed in a hit-and-run incident while out running in 2012.

The pair had grown up watching the Tour together. Tour de FranceTour de France Stage 17: Route map, how to watch as Pogacar plots takedown12 HOURS AGO Houle's win continued a strong race for Israel-Premier Tech, who arrived in France in need of points to avoid WorldTour relegation but have now taken two stages after Simon Clarke's win over the cobbles on Stage 5. Froome was full of praise for team-mate Houle, saying that the Canadian was fully deserving of his day in the sun after years of hard work as a reliable domestique in the peloton.

“This is the biggest day in Hugo’s career, so we’ll definitely have something to celebrate tonight,” Froome said. “Hugo is an amazing team-mate, absolutely selfless, nothing is ever too much for him. He’s always up for everything.

He’s a tough guy. “[It’s great] to see someone like him to have had the chance for the win, who normally gives 100 percent for his team leaders, and to have gone for it. “Anyone looking at that breakaway would have said Woodsie [Michael Woods, who finished third] would have been the best option of winning on such a mountainous stage, but getting that gap, and he’s an amazing time trialist, and he held it.