Hugo Houle’s Quebec hometown celebrates his Tour de France stage win
STE-PERPETUE — When Canadian Hugo Houle crossed the finish line well ahead of the competition in Stage 16 of the Tour de France on Tuesday, some of the loudest cheers were undoubtedly coming from Ste-Perpétue, Que.
The quiet village of less than 1,000 people, composed of a few streets surrounded by dairy farms and cornfields, seems an unlikely place to form a cycling superstar.
But hours after Houle became the first Canadian since 1988 to win a stage of one of the world’s most prestigious cycling races, nobody in his hometown, halfway between Quebec City and Montreal, appeared the least bit surprised.
In the lobby of a seniors home, someone called out, “Congratulations, grandma!” to 88-year-old Gisèle Proulx, whose eyes filled with happy tears every time she was asked about her 31-year-old grandson.