EF Pro Cycling's remarkable run of stage wins in this year's Grand Tours continued on Tuesday at the Vuelta a España, with Michael Woods taking a solo victory in Villanueva de Valdegovia over tough rivals Omar Freire (Astana Pro Team) and Alejandro Valverde (Movistar). Michael Woods outclassed tough rivals such as Omar Fraile (Astana Pro Team) and Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) to claim a solo victory in Villanueva de Valdégovia.

Woods' second win of 2020, after defeating Rafal Mayka (Bora-Hansgrohe) on the toughest mountain stage of Tirreno-Adriatico six weeks earlier, was also thanks to his climbing talents and his calculation through a tough breakaway group.

Joining a 35-man breakaway group, Woods made a furious push 3km from the summit of the day's main mountain, Puerto de Ordunya, eventually narrowing the stage leaders to five.

With a one-minute gap to the main group and a quarter of that to the former breakaway group, this quintet engaged in an intense race.

"We had some luck, we had the legs, and we were going to win," Woods said later.

The Canadian pointed to the EF logo as he crossed the finish line. The gesture underscored his own respect for the team and also reminded fans that in 2020, EF Pro Cycling will be at the Tour de France with Dani Martinez, at the Giro d'Italia with Jonathan Caicedo and Ruben Guerreiro, and at the Vuelta with his own He reminded fans of his stage wins.

Woods later confirmed that he was in a tactical situation where various important parts of the race were in motion, as he was monitoring Valverde, who was using the escape to improve his overall position, and watching his teammate Hugh Carthy's GC gains, while also trying to win a stage himself, if possible

Later, criticized by Fraile for not doing a good enough job when five people got away, Woods pointed to his multitasking as a way of explanation.

"We didn't collaborate. But Carty was in the peloton and Valverde was only three minutes away overall. I didn't want to contribute to Valverde's time.

"Unfortunately for Omar, he got caught up in it. But if he complains, that's his problem."

Woods' victory, aside from being another success for EF Pro Cycling's phenomenally strong team, in many ways also revisited his own personal history. His Vuelta victory came in 2018 in the Basque Country against Dylan Tuns (Bahrain-Merida) on the steep slopes of Mont Ois.

"It's great to win here in the Basque Country again. It's one of my favorite places to race," Woods commented, adding that while he understood the background of the pandemic, his only regret was that he did not have as many fans as he did in Mont Oise, where he came close to victory between a "wall" of deafening roadside fans waving flags and cheering him on. He added that he did not have as many fans as he had in Mont Oise, where he approached victory with a "wall" of deafening roadside fans cheering him on as they waved the flag.

That same year, Woods rode with Valverde to victory when Valverde won the rainbow jersey at the World Championships.

Woods noted that Valverde's speed in small group sprints was well known, and given the price he paid in Austria, it was his last hope to finish the Vuelta stage with Valverde.

The solo ride, which he attempted several times in the 19 km from the summit of Oise to the finish, was not his only option, but was arguably the best one.

The stage 7 victory was also a personal comeback for Woods. The Canadian had a very difficult start to the season after breaking his leg in Paris-Nice. He won in Tirreno-Adriatico and had another strong run in the Ardennes. More recently, however, he crashed in the first stage of the Vuelta, breaking a spoke on his wheel.

He finished second in the Pyrenees on stage 6 of the Vuelta and was outclassed by the Izagirre brothers, Gorka, and stage winner Ion (Astana ProTeam), but 48 hours later in the Basque Country it was a different story.

"I had a little bit of this stage in mind," Woods told Spanish TV. I was going to go with Hugh [Kersee]. But then the race got crazy and the group got bigger, so I crossed over to make sure we had enough guys.

Asked if he could go for another win, Woods said, "I want to taste this one first.

In any case, a memorable victory at the Vuelta is already in the bag for Woods.