July 6, 2010 – At this year’s Tour de France it seems like team Garmin-Transitions has been under fire. Sprinter Tyler Farrar went down in a crash in Stage 1, and team leader Christian Vande Velde was caught behind that same crash. Then things got even worse. In Stage 2, many of the race favourites crashed on the dangerous, slippery descent of the Côte de Stockeu. Julian Dean, David Millar, Farrar and Vande Velde were among the unlucky men in Argyle to hit the pavement, with all but Millar being taken to a local hospital. Most seriously injured, Vande Velde suffered two broken ribs and a left eyelid laceration requiring multiple stitches, forcing the team’s primary GC hope to abandon the Tour.

Team Director Jonathan Vaughters said that the loss of their team leader would mean a change in strategy, that they would now focus stage wins and ways to animate the race.

Victoria, BC’s Ryder Hesjedal, at his third Tour de France, took Vaughters’ words to heart immediately. During Tuesday’s Stage 3, he initiated a break 12km into the stage, and the select group of seven worked well together to stay away most of the day. Toward the end Hesjedal went it alone over several sections of cobblestones, finally being caught by Fabian Cancellara (Sui) Saxo Bank and a strong chase group at 5km from the finish. But the stalwart Canuck had enough strength left to contest the sprint and finish 4th behind Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team, moving into 4th overall in the process.

We contacted Marya Pongrace of Garmin-Transitions to see if we could get a quick word with the hero of the day. Soon after that, the phone rang: Hi, it’s Marya from Garmin-Transitions, I’m in the car with Ryder. I’m handing the phone over to him now.

Great, thanks!
Ryder Hesjedal: Hello Amy!

Wow, congratulations!
RH: Hey, thank you!

So where are you now?
RH: We’re almost at the hotel, after all the podium and bike scanning and stuff.

After Christian [Vande Velde] was out, JV said that you guys now had to change your strategy to day-to-day opportunities. Your move was exactly that, wasn’t it?
RH: Yeah, it’s just that easy! He just said what he wanted to happen and I just did it (laughs!) – nah, it was a perfect day to unfold like that, just to get in that break and get up the road and still be in good shape to ride over the final cobbles. You can’t ask for much more and I was close, but what are you going to do?

How did the break form?
RH: It didn’t take very long to go. It was pretty hard, the first half of the race, a lot of headwind and open roads – not very good for the break when you have the momentum of the peloton. I guess Quickstep was happy with that break and could control it. They decided how much we were ahead and we rode well together. It was key to at least get to the cobbles and get to them first and I was able to have good legs and let the race unfold from behind. It was a small but pretty classy group that came up to me so I was pleased with that.

You looked comfortable on pave. Sean Kelly and Magnus Backstedt on Eurosport said you were pushing a big gear and floating over the cobbles. That terrain suits you, eh?
RH: Yeah, I guess. I had some experience on ’em but definitely shifted more toward the hillier classics. You have to dedicate a lot of time to really hit the cobbled Northern classics properly. It was just a different kind of race today at the Tour de France. I was just fortunate to be in the break and get a head start and have open road on ’em. You know, a lot of the riding on the cobbles is just having good legs. I was able to have that and it was a good day.

Did you attack or accelerate when you saw that the peloton was closing in?
RH: At one point I left my breakmates and it was really just me and the course at that point and whatever was happening behind was really out of my hands. I just was focused on putting in the best effort I could and that was it.

Did you think you could stay away, knowing Fabian Cancellara was powering the group chasing you?
RH: You never know – I actually didn’t know what was happening behind. I was just looking forward (laughs) – what can you do?

When the Cancellara group caught you, you were able to stay with them. How much effort did that take?
RH: Yeah, that was great. I definitely don’t think I was fading at the end. They were just coming faster and obviously Fabian is probably the strongest rider in the world in those conditions.

You went for the victory and contested the sprint…
RH: Yeah, definitely a tall order to come over Hushovd in that scenario after being out in the break from early on in the day. After all it takes to get to the final and put in that kind of effort, that was definitely going to be a tough one but I was happy the way I was able to finish it off.

Today seems like it was a one-day Classic but you’re in a Grand Tour so now you have to do it again and again…
RH: (Laughs) Yeah, yeah, I was thinking about that when I started the day. But you gotta take each day at a time and not worry about a couple of weeks from now….

But you have to think about the days to come because you’re 4th on GC.
RH: Yeah, well you know, it’s a been very interesting Tour to say the least up until now, so we’ll just say how everything unfolds once we get into France and things start to get maybe a bit more normal you could say (laughs.)

You were named the Most Aggressive Rider today – what does it feel like to stand on the podium at the Tour de France?
RH: Oh, that was great, definitely the consolation prize. To get rewarded as the Most Aggressive Rider on the day is a very nice feeling and to stand on the Tour de France podium – it doesn’t get much better than that. The only thing better would have been winning the bike race today, but I’m more than pleased with my ride.

Looking forward, this ride has to give you great confidence and optimism.
RH: Oh yeah, for sure. I think the season obviously has gone really great up until now and I’m looking forward to more.

Good luck the rest of the Tour! Thanks to Marya and speak to you soon.
RH: Alright Amy, thanks.