Mike Woods' race with his current team, EF Pro Cycling, may be over in a few days, but the Canadian was determined to finish as well as possible at the Vuelta a España on Wednesday.

After finishing second on stage 6, Formigal, and winning 24 hours later in Ordunya, and defending teammate and GC contender Hugh Carthy hard on mountain stages such as Angliru, Woods heads into Ourense for stage 14, one of the toughest transition stages in the Vuelta! On the way, he succeeded in breaking seven riders.

One of the strongest riders in the bunch, Woods was able to regain some time after the group split on the late downhill, but was narrowly outpaced by Tim Wellens (Lotto-Soudal) on the technical uphill finale. Woods said after the race that a miscalculation on the left-hand bend played no small part in his defeat.

"I knew it was a turn, and that's why I wanted to get in front with 200 meters to go," Woods told Cycling News after the race.

." I was hoping that if Wellens got to the front, I could get around him." Indeed, as the two rounded the final sharp turn, Woods tried to do just that, but as the saying goes, the line arrived too soon for the Canadian rider to regain the lead.

On the plus side, Woods was very close to victory with some very strong braking. The group included not only Wellens, but also former Paris-Nice winner Marc Soler (Movistar), Classics expert Zdenek Stibal (Deceuninck-Quick Step), and one of Richard Calapas' top domestiques in this year's Vuelta, Richard Calapas The team also included well-known riders such as Dylan Van Barre of Ineos Grenadiers.

Two more riders, 20 year old Tymén Arensmann (Team Sunweb), who is riding his first Grand Tour and is doing a great job, and Pierre-Luc Perichon (Cofidis), an experienced French racer who is already in third place behind Wellens after the first week. They showed their strength by bridging quickly after the first group formed.

"It was the best breakaway I've ever experienced," Woods said. It was the kind of race that gets your heart rate up all day long. We were all fist pumping each other after the stage was over."

In a fiercely contested finale, the Canadians launched a late attack on the Alto de Abeira, a third-class mountain located 22 km from the line.

"I was in the lead and there was a gap and I tried to take advantage of it. I figured only one or two would get through."

"But everybody was a winner, so everybody fought to come back. Then on the descent, I made the mistake of getting behind Dylan and the Sunweb rider (Arensman).

"Stybar," who rides an aerobike, was clearly a man on a mission: "I opened a gap on the downhill and Dylan and the Sunweb rider couldn't keep up. I was able to catch up to the Sunweb riders, but not to Dylan.

"Wellens, Soler, and Stybar took advantage of it, Woods, Allenman, and van Baar chased, and Perichon fell off.

"Everyone was on full throttle and we managed to get back. It was touch and go, but I knew if I kept riding hard I had a chance. 0]

The final battle with Wellens did not go Woods' way, but as Woods said, globally, EF has had notable success in Spain

"It was the best Grand Tour performance I've participated in with EF," said the American since joining the 2016 Woods, who has accumulated three Vuelta, two Giro and a Tour with the team, said.

"Two stage wins, two second places, and now Hugh is in third place overall. It's very good, morale is high, and watching Hugh ride, I'm confident he can defend his podium position. It's a really good place for the team."