Hesjedal gets his podium in Montreal
Canadian finishes third in ProTour race
He came to Quebec aiming for a podium and, after finishing fourth in Quebec City Friday, Ryder Hesjedal could have gotten down on himself. But instead, he hit the roads of Montreal Sunday for the second of two ProTour races in three days and this time, came away with a third.
Hesjedal, whose remarkable season included a seventh at the Tour de France in July, finished just behind Peter Sagan, of Liquigas, and race winner Robert Gesink, who broke away from a lead group on the final lap and held off a charging chase group to win with a four-second advantage.
The massive crowd on hand for the race erupted as Hesjedal was called onto the podium. The Victoria native seemed almost as excited as his fans were, throwing his first in the air as he was brought back on stage as the top Canadian.
“It was a big learning experience these past two races to have the honour of wearing the No. 1 bib. I never heard my name that much before. What can I say? I rode it the best that I could,” he said. “I just left it all out there. I can’t be upset at all with the third place. This is amazing.”
Like the rest of the podium, Hesjedal bided his time Sunday, letting an early breakaway hang off the front of the peloton for most of the race. Various riders came and went from the lead group, but when the break was caught with one lap to go, Levi Leipheimer attacked and was countered by Gesink, who opened a gap that never would be closed. Hesjedal put in a big effort with a chase group trying to bring him back, but the Dutch rider took the win.
“Today was more my kind of race (than Friday) because the climbs were much longer. I felt good. I saw the course Saturday and knew it was a course for me,” Gesink said.
See video of Gesink crossing the finish line below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGSyZzT9YQg
Adding to the accomplishment for Ryder was the fact much of his family and many friends were in attendance. “The big picture, it’s really life changing to come here after the season I’ve had and to have my love ones here – my family and my fiancée and the fans were just amazing. I never thought in 1,000 years I would be where I am today. I’m looking forward to taking this experience forward,” said Hesjedal. “It has really been a dream year. I’m just concerned about trying to do it next year.”
As for the rest of the Canadians, Hesjedal’s teammate Svein Tuft did a pile of work to bring back the breakaway. Once his job was done, he finished 57th. The other Canadians in the 173-rider-strong peloton that started the race were on the SpiderTech-sponsored Canadian team. Of those, Will Routley was 65th, Francois Parisien was 69th, Dominique Rollin was 87th and David Boily was the final finisher in 92. Guillaume Boivin, Keven Lacombe, Rob Britton and Ryan Anderson were all DNFs.
Routley, Canada’s 2010 national road champion, said it was a tough day on the bike. “I’m a little disappointed. I think as a team we were riding pretty well together. It’s good to get a little experience in doing these races. It’s just one of those things where I want to come back and give it another try,” he said.
NOTE: For any bike shop representatives in Montreal for the BTAC Expocycle show Monday, a handful of the ProTour riders will be on hand signing autographs.
 WINNERS
Winner: Robert Gesinik (Team RaboBank)
Most combative: Ryder Hesjedal (Team Garmin-Transitions)
Best climber: Angel Madrazo-Ruiz (Caisse d’Épargne)
Best Canadian: Ryder Hesjedal (Team Garmin-Transitions)
Best team: Team RadioShack