Ryder Hesjedal Second at Amstel Gold

Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Tranistions) placed second in Sunday’s 45th running of the Amstel Gold Race. Hesjedal was just beaten to the line by winner Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto).

During a post race press conference with Cyclingnews, Hesjedal said, ““I couldn’t be more pleased. It’s insane. This means a lot. I started to see myself as a rider for these races a few years ago and I’ve got nothing but the utmost respect for these events. This is my fifth Amstel and it was one of the first races in did in 2004. I remember coming off the back after 180 kilometres and couldn’t fathom how you get to the finish – now I realise how.”

The race was made even more challenging this year due to the travel headaches that many teams faced with the myriad of canceled flights. Garmin-Transitions was, like many teams, forced to drive to Holland for the biggest one-day Dutch race of the season.

Hesjedal’s team mate, Christian Meier, finished in 111 position in Sunday’s race.