Hesjedal upbeat about Liege-Bastogne-Liege
After finishing 13th in the Fleche Wallonne Wednesday, Ryder Hesjedal is looking forward to the final spring classic this weekend.
After finishing 13th in the Fleche Wallonne Wednesday, Ryder Hesjedal is looking forward to the final spring classic this weekend.
Hesjedal came into the 2011 season with three races circled on his spring calendar — the Amstel Gold Race last Sunday, Fleche Wallonne Wednesday and Liege-Bastogne-Liege this coming Sunday.
The Canadian Garmin-Cervelo rider struggled with stomach problems in Amstel, so his 13th place at the top of the infamous Mur de Huy on Wednesday was a relief.
“When you get to the bottom of the climb, you just hope for the best,” he said Wednesday. “I was just behind (teammate) Christophe (Le Mevel) and I had pretty good position. The Mur isn’t the best climb in the world for me. There’s a big acceleration and it takes me a little more time to get my rhythm. I came back on guys, but it’s short and quick. Today was a good day and now we all have eyes on Liege.”
Belgian Philippe Gilbert is the man of the moment after dominating Amstel and the Fleche but Hesjedal reckons Liege-Bastogne-Liege — where he finished 11th in 2009 — will be different.
“Today was a good indication for what lies in store for Sunday. Gilbert is strong right now, but Liege is Liege. There will be a lot of big riders on big teams with big ambitions. We’ll have to see what happens,” he said.
“We’ve all been working hard to be ready for these races and Liege is the definitive race of the spring classics. Every rider dreams of winning it. I hope to be at my best and I can have the race I know I can have. I am feeling better after what happened Sunday at Amstel Gold. It was just one of those things. I got sick right at the decisive moment of the race and there was nothing I could. That’s bike racing. It was frustrating, but I know that the condition is there. We’ll be ready for Sunday.”
