July 12, 2010 (Morzine-Avoriaz, France) – The Garmin-Transitions team has had its troubles at the 2010 Tour de France. A crash-marred first week took down various members of the Argyle Armada, including their designated leader, Christian Vande Velde. In Stage 2 the American suffered two broken ribs and a left eyelid laceration. The next day, Vande Velde was not able to take the start line, forcing Garmin-Transitions to turn to Plan B.

One man’s misfortune became another’s opportunity. Victoria, BC’s, Ryder Hesjedal, competing at his third Tour de France, initiated a break and stayed away most of the day, finishing 4th on the stage. He vaulted into 4th place overall, becoming Garmin’s primary GC hope.

When the race moved into the mountains in Stages 7 and 8, Hesjedal proved that he could hang with the favourites. He finished 8th and 14th, respectively, in those stages, and now sits in an impressive 6th place overall, only 1:11 behind leader Cadel Evans (BMC.)

After 1,569 kilometres and almost 38 hours in the saddle, Hesjedal and the rest of the 186 competitors still in the Tour enjoyed a well-deserved rest day in the Alpine resort of Morzine-Avoriaz:

Hi, Ryder.
Ryder Hesjedal: Hey, Amy.

How are you?
RH: Good!

What did you do on today’s rest day?
RH: Oh, just an easy spin, eat some food, did some media stuff, going to get a massage pretty quick here – normal.

“Normal” – but you’re in 6th place in the biggest bike race in the world. How are you feeling about that?
RH: Oh, that’s great, yeah. Hoping I could have gone about 10 seconds faster and I’d be sitting in 3rd today, but in the big picture it doesn’t make that much difference.

You’ve had time to think back on your performance in Stage 3 that sent you from 27th into 4th and righted the Garmin ship after a tough start for the team. What are your salient memories and emotions from that day?
RH: Oh, still coming close to actually winning a stage. I still made out really well on the day and that’s what set up where I am right now in the overall, but I’ll always look back on that one and think of what could have been if I’d won the stage. But that was definitely a good day in the grand scheme of things!

When the Tour reached the mountains a few days ago Johan van Summeren worked for you. What does that mean for you to have the team looking after you at the Tour de France?
RH: Ah, yeah, that’s why we’re all here. We’re here to support the best guys and I’m happy I’ve been able to be in that position. I’m just trying to honour that position and do well for the team and make good on the work (that we’re all doing.) I know it from both ends. It’s not the first time I’ve been supported by the team at big races. It is the Tour de France, the biggest race in the world, but we race our bikes really hard a lot of other times and I think that the big thing is to not get too crazy here and forget everything you know and get too excited and change things. Right now I’m just treating it like another bike race because that’s the best way to get through it.

I saw that you said that in Stage 7 you thought about going with Sylvain Chavanel when he broke away early in the race, and he eventually won the stage and took the yellow jersey back. Talk about your thought process there.
RH: You know, I’m sure there are a lot of people who say that they would have wanted to go with Chavanel and try and get a stage win. But it was more my situation, where if I had gone with Chavanel I could’ve have been in the yellow jersey because I’m higher up than him in the (General) Classification. I don’t know if the other teams would have let me go in that regard like they did Chavanel. Clearly that was the right choice the way he rode yesterday, he’s not a big threat to the main contenders overall so that was the way that day played out. I just look at that day that there could’ve been a chance to get in the (yellow) jersey. Even Stage 3 could have been a chance, or also maybe a chance for a stage win at Stage 7. As much as riding for GC is important, I just look at those opportunities within the race and they don’t come often. It’s a hard balance trying to look for those kinds of opportunities as they’re pretty few when you are up in the GC. So I try to balance both and come out with something.

On that day you finished in the group with the true GC hopes and the climbers – guys like Contador, Schleck, Evans, Wiggins. How comfortable did you feel in that group in that terrain at the pace those guys were going?
RH: I was really comfortable that day, that’s why I wish I maybe had made an attempt on the last climb. Just because of the way that it was begin driven from behind, there was no real push to bring those guys back. If you’re racing guys on GC, there’s a little bit of “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” – a lot of the time you have to follow and watch guys. Maybe I wouldn’t have been as good yesterday if I had put in an effort, what it takes to attack on a final climb like that. So all in all, getting through yesterday I’m pleased with the way everything has unfolded. It’s normal to always look back and think of how you could have done things differently.

Where was the point yesterday during Stage 8 on the way to Morzine-Avoriaz where you didn’t or couldn’t stay with that Contador/Evans/Schleck group?
RH: It was really on the hardest part of the climb, it was in the middle, the steepest part and I just knew my limit. There were only 13 guys in front of me after I came off. No one came back past me, that’s where I finished. I was able to ride strong and ride my own pace the rest of the climb and only lose a minute and a bit to that collective group of the best guys in the world over last 5k, with those guys taking swings at each other at the top. I definitely was going well and was pleased with that. Tactically, it’s hard to say if I would have stayed in contact and put in a bigger effort or decided to push through a bit longer, if I would have made out better. A strong rider like Wiggins hung in there a couple more kilometres, and he did the same thing – and I was able to overcome him in the last couple of k’s. Like I said, I’m happy with the way it turned out, but you can always look back and think about the outcome if you you had done things differently.

Have you and Christian been in touch during the race?
RH: Yeah, he’s been giving me advice and encouragement. I think he’s back in America now with his family and for sure as much as he doesn’t want to be watching the Tour he’s as big a fan as any and I’m sure he’s watching every day even though it’s hard for him to not be here. The last thing I want to do is look at bike races when I’m not there (laughs) but I’m sure he’s watching and he’s definitely been giving me advice.

What are some pieces of advice that he’s given you?
RH: Obviously yesterday was going to be one of the first real decisive days, just advice as far as confidence, and reassuring me that I’m strong enough to stay with those guys and that usually the hardest moments are at the start of the climbs and if you can get through that you have a better chance, just things like that. Just kind of explaining how it’s going to unfold, and that comes from someone who’s been there and that gives you a little bit of an advantage.

Originally you went into the Tour with your primary responsibility to look after Christian. Now you’re the team’s primary GC hope and sitting 6th overall. Talk about how things like pressure and an opportunity to show what you can do contribute to your changed mindset.
RH: I’m really pleased with where I am on this first rest day. I’ve enjoyed everything up until this point. I’m not really putting a lot of pressure on myself – I’m sure it’s there now and I’m sure the team wants to see me continue to do well and obviously I want to see that too. I didn’t come here thinking to ride the GC or have that in my mind, and mentally preparing. My job was to come here to be supporting and be here as long as possible in the mountains and in the hard moments and I’ve proven I’m capable of that. That’s where I’m supposed to be and it just so happens I’m taking on the GC responsibilities now as well.

Earlier in the race the team was riding hard during stages for Tyler Farrar and Julian Dean, which was also a priority. How does the fatigue of some of your teammates affect the work that they can do for you in the mountains?
RH: You can always be helped out in some parts of the race but clearly those guys aren’t climbers and you could see yesterday that nobody was around on the final slopes and that’s just the way it goes for a team that’s focused on two objectives with someone that could win the sprints and someone that could ride for GC so we came here with a team that was built for that and we’re still doing that. So I think that everyone’s pleased with that situation at the moment.

This may seem like a real basic question but it’s an important one: You’re 6th overall in the most important bike race in the world – what is your goal for the Tour de France now?
RH: Just to continue to ride well and see how far I can take it. You know, I’ve been fortunate enough to get through some difficult days and also do well on certain days so I’m benefiting from that and I’m going to race as well as I can and see how far I can take it. I’m not setting any goals, I didn’t have to set any goals at the start of the year. If I don’t finish this Tour de France in the top 10 it’s not a failure. I never set that goal for myself, but you gotta start somewhere and I haven’t started a Grand Tour yet with GC goals. This is my third Tour de France, they’ve been more or less the same situation up until this one. The only thing that changed is that Christian’s not here anymore so the second best guy or the guy who was being looked at as the one who was going to support the best guy should be somewhat close to that guy. So if you get the opportunity to ride for a result, you hope that’s the situation – that’s the role I’ve fallen into. But this is the first time I’ll be trying to take it as far as I can in this part of my career. I had a little bit of experience in ’06, but that was also totally new and I didn’t even finish the three-week race. I was trying to ride for GC in the ’06 Vuelta (a España) and it was a new experience at that time – when you’re fighting every day for every second on every mountain top it’s a lot different. I think I showed at the (2009) Vuelta (where he won a stage) what’s possible when you aren’t riding for the GC and taking it stage by stage and filling different roles. To win a stage in a Grand Tour is also something that’s obviously rewarding and very important so that’s what I was looking to do here along with helping Christian. But now I’ve almost done that and that also set me up to ride the GC so I’m going to see how I can keep blending those goals.

Have you and Matt White mapped out a particular strategy stage by stage, or as you said is it just to fight for every second every day?
RH: Yeah, everyone’s been doing this long enough that we know how things unfold. Each day we have a plan, it’s more based upon what’s actually happening on the day, people’s states, where they are physically – who’s feeling good, who’s not, who’s more suited to this, who’s more suited to that. And we put the plan together and usually you can plan as much as you want and things don’t go accordingly – this is bike racing. We’ve seen that (laughs) more times than not in this Tour…things not going as planned! I just take the start every day and hope for the best!

I’ve seen a bunch of articles in Canadian newspapers and on line, and on Versus’ tv coverage Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen are talking about you quite a bit and Bob Roll picked you to win Stage 7. Everything you do here at the Tour is magnified and everyone notices. What’s it like to get all this attention?
RH: Oh, it’s nice! I mean, it doesn’t affect how I approach what I’m doing here, what I’ve been doing. I think it’s just a product of my consistency and me continuing to improve and be in the big bike races and showing myself and eventually those opportunities come up. I’ve been around a while now and I think my best years are still coming. It’s nice that they’re talking about me, but it’s hard not to talk about someone when they’re in the top 5 for a week at the Tour de France – what can I say? You know, it’s a bit overwhelming and I’m just focused on keeping it going! It’s a tough race and I’m just looking to see where I can take it.

One last thing – talk about the support you’ve been receiving from Canadians back home. They’ve been having crack of dawn Tour viewing parties and following you on Twitter and through your website.
RH: Yes, it’s overwhelming, the support. The fact that people are following that much, it makes it that much more important and it is a big part of it. I am trying to do well and be good for those well wishers and give people something to cheer about! Clearly they’ve been happy so far (laughs,) so I’m just trying to keep it going!

Yeah, if they’re getting up in BC at 4am in the morning to go to a bike shop and watch the race on TV that’s pretty impressive!
RH: Yeah, yeah, there have been some comments that they’re not too happy about that but they’re going to deal with it because I’m doing so well, so that is funny!

That’s great, thanks so much for your time!
RH: Alright Amy, any time.

Keep up the good work.
RH: Thanks!

Read more about Ryder Hesjedal here.