New 10-storey artwork honours 2022 stage victory and late brother’s memory
A massive new mural in Montreal’s Plateau neighbourhood is turning heads—and telling a story. The beautiful new piece is painted across a 10-storey building on Mont-Royal Avenue. The artwork shows Israel – Premier Tech’s Hugo Houle pointing skyward as he celebrates his breakthrough Tour de France stage win in 2022. The moment was also a touching tribute to his late brother.
As Houle approached the finish in Foix that day, he reached for the cross he wears only in competition. For years, it has been a quiet ritual in memory of Pierrik Houle. He was killed by a hit-and-run driver while jogging in 2012. Since that terrible day, the cyclist from Sainte-Perpétue raced with a promise to one day win a Tour stage for him. This was a dream the brothers once shared watching the race together as kids.
🎨🚴♂️ A mural in progress on the streets of Montréal — a beautiful tribute to Hugo Houle taking shape under the summer sun. pic.twitter.com/DT0qWIMNa7
— Pier-Olivier Pinard (@Popinard) July 4, 2025
The mural, covering roughly 650 square metres, was created by Montreal-based artists Fred Fuse, Zek One and Dodo Ose as part of the Project Tyxna collective. The trio worked from scaffolds and lifts for more than a month to bring the scene to life.
“I spotted this wall 20 years ago,” Zek said to Radio-Canada. “It’s an incredible canvas—you can see it so clearly from Mount Royal. It’s a childhood dream I’m realizing.”
The idea for the piece came from Iberville Developments, which owns the building. The firm is backed by Sylvan Adams, the Israeli-Canadian businessman who also sponsors Houle’s Israel–Premier Tech team.
“The team was looking for muralists, and we were referred,” Fuse said in an interview with Radio-Canada. “It was a good fit. We’d had our eyes on this wall for a long time.”
The huge win made him the first Quebecer—and just the second Canadian—to claim a Tour de France stage. Since then, another Canuck, his teammate Michael Woods, has taken a win at the biggest race in the world. On Houle’s Instagram story, he shared a photo of the new mural, saying he can’t wait to see it in person.
“We wanted it to be colourful and glorious,” Zek said. “You had to recognize the portrait, but also build something bigger than the moment.”
It’s one of the rare murals in Montreal to spotlight a professional athlete outside…
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