July 30, 2008 (Girona, Spain) — 2008 just keeps getting better and better for Victoria, BC’s Ryder Hesjedal. In May he finished his first Giro d’Italia, one of the most difficult Grand Tours in recent memory. This past Sunday he rode onto the Champs-Elysées in Paris, accompanying Garmin-Chipotle teammate Christian Vande Velde, whom he had helped to an outstanding 5th place overall. Hesjedal was the first Canadian to finish the Tour de France since Steve Bauer did so in 1995, his GC placing was the best for a Canuck since Bauer’s 27th in 1990, back when Ryder was 9 years old”¦ and in case you are wondering who the last Canadian to do the Giro-Tour double was”¦ read on to find out.

So what’s next after the Grand Tour double? The Olympics in Beijing, of course. Hesjedal’s Olympic experience four years ago in Athens in 2004 ended in disappointment. A medal hopeful in the MTB race, he abandoned after an early puncture, ruining that dream. His second chance at the Olympic experience, the men’s road race, takes place on Saturday, August 9 and the time trial follows on Wednesday, the 13th. We were lucky enough to get some phone time with Hesjedal as he packed up his belongings at his European base in Girona, Spain.

The last time we spoke was during the Tour’s first rest day so I want to start with some of the tough stages that followed. Stage 15 to Prato Nevoso was a really hard Alpine stage and Danny Pate was in a break all day. How exciting was it for him to be out there, but again, like Will Frischkorn in the first week, how disappointing was it to come up short of the stage win?
Ryder Hesjedal: Yeah, you know, when the chance is there for a victory and it’s getting near the end it’s always exciting, you always want to win the race when you’re in that position, but again, for Will and Danny to be with the team since the beginning and to be in moves like that, that was huge, and 2nd or 3rd is just so big and they were going for the win, which is pretty remarkable. So I think everyone was more than happy with those days including them as well. Even though they didn’t win, they were in a position to and not a lot of guys can say that.

How were you feeling and how long were you able to stay with Christian, who picked up time on Cadel Evans?
RH: That was a hard day, we all crashed on that roundabout and the stress went up a lot. It was clear with a hilltop finish that the day was important and I was with Christian right to the bottom of Prato Nevoso. So that was a good day and I was able to deliver him at the bottom with Dave (Millar) and Trent (Lowe.) He did his thing and it was perfect heading into the rest day!

Did that second rest day give you extra energy? You were in that big break behind (solo leader) Stefan Schumacher for a while on Stage 16 to Jausiers.
RH: Yeah, that was definitely one of the highlights. A lot of days obviously guys are looking to be in the early moves and sometimes they’re pretty suicide, and sometimes you know that there is a good chance that they’ll go to the finish and that makes it that much harder to get in them. Our team’s idea was that obviously having a strong guy up the road was going to help for the leaders of the team, and also that it was a day that it could go, cause it’s that hard. The GC guys need to focus on their race. So obviously when that break was established you could see the depth and the level of the guys in it (including Jens Voigt, George Hincapie, Yaroslav Popovych, Haimar Zubeldia), there was a lot of satisfaction that I was able to make that move that day following the rest day. A lot of guys were trying to do the same, and unfortunately and fortunately the plan to be up the road did kind of unfold in that Christian did need my help and I was able to be up there (Hesjedal was ordered to drop back to help Vande Velde) and do that. At the end of the day it was bad but it was good. It was history after the next day up Alpe d’Huez for Christian.

How good did it feel to be able to contribute to his efforts on such a crucial day in the Alps?
RH: Yeah, that’s the ultimate. I was there basically at his only bad moment and I was very happy and pleased that I was there and able to do that – that was the plan and it unfolded like we thought it might and I was able to be there. It’s one thing to have meetings at the start of the race and have the idea and have the plan and all this and for it to actually unfold more or less exactly as you’d discussed, that’s a unique time and moment and again to be part of that and be the guy at that moment with Christian it was very big and I was super excited to be there for him and to contribute. It turns out it was pretty crucial cause he was able to be right back in it the next day. Unfortunately he did lose time that day but if he’d lost more it would have been even worse so there’s two sides to it and again, I was there and able to help.

Talk about the Queen Stage, Stage 17 — the Galibier, Croix de Fer and finally l’Alpe d’Huez at the Tour de France — how epic was that?
RH: Yeah, pretty hard. I’d done a similar day in the Dauphiné with the Galibier, and the Croix de Fer, and we did the (Col du) Mollard before la Toussuire, so I definitely knew what to expect, it’s obviously different heading into the last week of the Tour de France so you know, it was hard. I was able to be around on the Croix de Fer for about two-thirds, three–quarters, I just wasn’t quite able to stay with the front guys over the last part of the Croix de Fer. I just hooked in with some guys over the top and basically went all the way to the Alpe and rode up the Alpe sort of on my own terms just behind the front guys, So yeah, it was a hard day, I was definitely empty at the end. It was just epic, you know the skies were clear and blue and we were racing hard and it was my first time up l’Alpe d’Huez and I could hear on my radio that Christian was riding really well and challenging and it was just an epic day. So I took it all in, seeing everyone on all 21 switchbacks cheering, and got up to the finish. There were still a few hard days after that but that was definitely a big moment. You knew you were close to the finish after that.

L’Alpe d’Huez is such a mythical climb — the fans, atmosphere on such a legendary climb — what was that like?
RH: I guess it’s hard to describe in some ways. I think people see the images and can see how big it is and how crazy the people are, but the emotion and what you feel when you’re actually riding it is pretty amazing – I don’t know if you can really describe it. I think everyone has a different experience riding up it. It depends, if you’re at the front of the race challenging the race leaders and that sort of thing, or you’re just trying to make it to the finish, everyone has a different experience. But the crowds and everyone more or less treat everyone the same. You’re there and you are riding the Alpe at the Tour and they give you that morale and they cheer for you, and it just elevates you a level and you just make it up no matter what!

13th place in the final Time Trial — how strong did you feel finishing out the Tour that way?
RH: Yeah, the Time Trial honestly I didn’t really put a lot of focus on or effort or anything. We made it through the Friday stage, which was unbelievably hard, there were some guys in serious trouble (Fabian Wegmann, Juan Antonio Flecha and Romain Feillu were eliminated by the time cut) and it was just a really hard day and I think everyone made it through that said “˜ok, now we have the Chrono (TT) and at least you can do it on your own terms,’ and if you’re not challenging in the GC you don’t have to get too stressed out about it. I just really approached it super relaxed and didn’t really put a lot of pressure on myself or anything like this. It was all new, I’d never really done a 53km time trial before especially at that point in a race. So I just kept an open mind and was really flexible and started out and I felt comfortable and just kept that. I didn’t have a radio or any information, I just kind of free-rode the thing, we didn’t pre-ride or anything, the little bits and pieces that can usually take some seconds off, so in that regard it was definitely good. And for my absolute conditioning, what I was able to do on that day was really good and really encouraging. When I finished, I came across the line 4th (place,) something like that, and hung around the top 10 until the last five guys more or less, just getting bumped into 13th by a few seconds (by yellow jersey Carlos Sastre,). I mean that’s about as good as it gets when you finish your first Tour de France! I was definitely pleased with that. I do see myself as a strong time trialist, not a specialist but I definitely believe that my performance is at that level and that was very encouraging to do that on that Saturday, especially looking forward to China.

What were your emotions riding onto the Champs-Élysées for the first time having completed your first Tour de France and where does that compare to other cycling moments for you?
RH: That’s a tough one, I don’t know if I can compare it to anything, it’s so special and unique. My first breakthroughs on the mountain bike just in terms of goals or long-term goals, you envision them for a long time and it does happen, the satisfaction. For sure I’ve had days like that and the Tour was definitely one that was right up there if not the highest. When you finally get into the urban centre of Paris after three weeks and you catch the Eiffel Tour poking up out of the corner of your eye and then you get into the main streets there and you do turn onto the Champs-Élysées and see the Arc de Triomphe it’s pretty hard to describe the energy and feeling and the amount of people that are there, and you just know you did it and you just have nine more loops of this thing and that’s a wrap. It’s just full gas, full emotion, full energy and it went by pretty quick actually (laughs) and all of a sudden you’re changed and you’ve got sneakers on and you’re back on the Champs victory style, checking out all the people — that’s what it’s all about! I always thought I’d be there and I was on Sunday and it’s pretty exciting.

After having finished the Tour for the first time, what would you say makes the Tour special and different?
RH; Just the magnitude and that everyone does put their focus on that race. You can’t just sign up for the Tour, it’s a hard, hard road to get there and it has to work out and that’s the first battle. And to get there and to actually have good moments or have victories or all the things that are up for grabs within the race, that’s what makes it special. Basically as soon as you finish you’re thinking about how to make it better the next year and that’s the addiction. You just want to be there again – you’ve experienced that level, the people, the energy — I mean it’s the big stage. Why wouldn’t you want to be there and put your effort towards that? For me, I’ve just been thinking about it for so long and working towards it. Now it’s like, ok, now I’ve been there, I’ve done it, now everything changes and you have to start reconstructing your motivation, your goals and your perceptions. That’s what’s in store for me this fall and it’s an exciting new chapter now. I can finally say, when everyone hears you’re a cyclist and they come up and they ask you, “Tour de France? You do the Tour de France?” and I can finally say “yes, as a matter of fact!” you know? That’s something that’s important for me.

You’re the first Canadian to finish the Tour since Steve Bauer in 1995″¦
RH: Yeah? I wasn’t sure. It was always all about Gord (Fraser) riding the Tour in ’97 but I wasn’t actually certain who’d finished the Tour, it’s a little bit different, so ’95, ok!

And your 47th place on GC is the best since Bauer’s 27th in 1990″¦.
RH: Wait, is it 47th or 46th after Fofonov (Dmitriy tested positive after Stage 18 and it was announced on Sunday?)

Oh, yeah, you’re right, you’re right, yes 46th”¦
RH: I don’t know if they’ve adjusted it”¦it’s unfortunate, another one at the end there.

The best since 1990 – were you paying attention to cycling at all back then?
RH: Mmmmmm”¦. (Laughs) not so much! I was probably riding around for fun back then. I wouldn’t have known any stats at nine years old! Yeah, I’m really proud of that, and the reception and the feedback I’ve gotten from Canadian fans via the website, and everything like that, it’s pretty amazing. There were some people out there at the end on the Champs with the flags and it’s pretty exciting. I feel fortunate and proud to be a guy that has broken those long-running stats and situations. It’s something I can be proud of and use as motivation to keep improving and keep trying to better those numbers and all the stuff and keep people as excited as ever.

Did any of those fans tell you the last time a Canadian finished the Giro and Tour in the same year? Can you guess that?
RH: (Laughs) I don’t know!! Did that even happen?

1987, it was Bauer in 1987. So you were how old?
RH: Bauer did the double in ’87? Nice!

You’re making some history!
RH: Yeah, I know, I know (laughs) — I didn’t know that, that shows how busy we are. Wow, that’s pretty cool. I’d have been six years old so definitely wouldn’t have seen any of that. But wow, cool. I actually saw Steve out of the corner of my eye on that really hard day on Friday. Just as we were driving the bus I looked out and made eye contact with Bauer so it was cool. He saw me and gave a wave, that was pretty cool! Yeah, just trying to follow in some great footsteps as much as possible!

Now I guess you look to the Olympic road race and time trial — did the Tour give you great fitness and confidence for those races?
RH: Yeah, I feel with Saturday (the time trial) and the rhythm of the Tour and the way I’ve come out of it I feel really strong and that’s the beauty of the three-week racing, when you can get on top of it and be in control and come out at a level that you just can’t replicate unless you’re doing that. You can definitely get exhausted and just be empty and devastated, but I think that when we were able to do the Giro, prepare exclusively for the Tour and do the trainings that we’ve done, I’m sitting about as good as I could be coming out of the Tour and that’s all you need mentally for something like the Olympics. So now I just have to take care of all the logistics and the fine details and get to China in the best way and just enjoy it, too. I really experienced Athens in a pretty high-stress situation and it went about as bad as it could go, and those are things that I’ve gone through and I can use in a positive way and now – I can’t see myself in a better situation and I’m going to go and just enjoy Beijing. I don’t need pressure on myself to perform, I’m just going to do it and that will normally lend itself to having the best performances. At the end of the day that’s just going to be icing on the cake one way or the other. The season I’ve had so far, it would have been hard to say in February that it would go this way, even though I envisioned it happening”¦and now I couldn’t be more pleased. I can just be completely satisfied and content going into this fall.

What will you do between now and then to prepare you for Beijing, what’s the plan?
RH: Leaving here tomorrow, Girona to Victoria. Just going to recupe with my family and friends and just rest for five days. So I think that five days at home where I was born and raised is gonna go a long way after this year. And then I’ll just go straight to China from Vancouver and have a couple days before the race just to get ready over there, and do the road race on the 9th (of August,) – however it goes, it goes. A couple of days later I’ll do the Time Trial, that’ll be just me out there, then the Olympic Games are done. We’ll see what happens,

What do you know about the course and how it will suit you and your Olympic teammates, Michael Barry and Svein Tuft?
RH: Yeah, just the fact of the way it’s laid out, we go out more or less flat for 80km, then we start the circuit that has the climb, I think it’s sounding very suiting to a rider like myself with a pretty solid climb, obviously a race of attrition, where we just continually do that climb seven times. That’s pretty straightforward, you know? If you don’t have the means to make it over those longer climbs, one after another after another, you probably won’t see the finish. So I think for a rider like myself coming off the Tour it bodes well and for a rider like Michael it’s good as well. Svein, if he’s on the top of his game, I think it also suits him, so we have three guys that are going to be able to complement each other and definitely make sure one guy makes it to the final (selection) and is in the race.

If you had Argyle shaved into your head for the Tour we can expect for Beijing? Is there someone who can shave a nice Maple Leaf for you?
RH: Yeah, I’m sure they could come up with that. It was kind of a blur the first ten days and we made it to the rest day. We have a pretty exciting, kind of vibrant chiropractor from the UK and he came in and the hair was definitely grown out too far and I said “help me out,” and he shaved me up and styled it up and it was fun. That was kind of the theme of the whole race for Garmin-Chipotle, we just enjoyed it and had a good time. I think the results in the racing reflected that, everyone was just super excited and enjoyed the Tour de France — that’s a pretty special situation to be in!

A Maple Leaf has to be easier than Argyle”¦
RH: Yeah, I think I could almost get a Maple Leaf in there by myself if I had the right mirrors.

You’ve competed in the Tour, which is huge and you’ve raced at Worlds. But everyone in Canada and all over the planet watches and pays attention to the Olympics. Put into perspective for us what it means to represent Canada at the Olympics, the biggest event in the world — the honour and the excitement you feel.
RH: Yeah, that’s what you always think about or dream about or strive for when you’re starting out as an athlete and a sportsperson, it’s the Olympics. This year has been pretty exceptional and it was always just something that was going to happen on top of everything that I really needed to do this year and it’s unfolded that way, and I think I am in the best position I can be, so it’s just nothing but excitement. What I was able to do for recognition and that sort of thing from the Tour will just elevate the cycling for Canada in the Olympics, and to be a part of that also, is another big accomplishment and dream come true. And to be starting my second Olympics in a different event than the first and to do two events in this Olympics, it’s just over the top! It’s what you always are thinking about here and there when you’re training every day and putting in the work, and hoping it could go that well and when it unfolds and gets close and become reality that’s what it all about. Again, I’m going to China to enjoy myself and take it all in and when I get back in the middle of August then I’ll be able to sit back and reflect on all that on top of all this.

Ni hui shuo Putonghua ma? (can you speak Mandarin?)
RH: Hahaha — haven’t had too much time to dial up the linguistics for over there but again, that’s gonna be the biggest adventure. I’ve never been to China and that right there is going to be a new adventure. Combining that with the Olympics and a new event, as I haven’t competed at the Games in the Road Race, it’s gonna be all new and all adventure, so I’m just gonna take it all in!

The Great Wall is unbelievable!
RH: I’m looking forward to it.

Zaijian, Beijing jian (goodbye, see you in Beijing.)
RH: Cool, alrighty!! See you soon, bye!