Ryder Hesjedal
Encyclopedia
Ryder Hesjedal is a Canadian professional racing cyclist for . He is a former mountain biker, winning a silver medal
at the 2001 Under-23 world championship. He turned professional with in 2005 after several years with the continental team.
.
, he was selected by Discovery Channel for the 2005 Giro d'Italia
and helped Paolo Savoldelli
win, although failing to complete the course himself. After 2005 he joined the Swiss team, Phonak. There he began to build some of his best results, finishing fourth in the 2006 Volta a Catalunya and second in the 2006 Canadian time trial championship. Later that season he rode the Vuelta a España, although he dropped out near the end to concentrate on the road world championships
in Salzburg. He achieved only modest results. The end of the Phonak team led him to Health Net
for 2007. For 2008 he joined Garmin-Slipstream and helped Christian Vande Velde to fifth in the Tour de France
.
In 2009 Hesjedal competed in the Vuelta a España
, winning the 12th stage. He was the first Canadian to have won a Vuelta stage and the first Canadian individual winner of a Grand Tour stage since Steve Bauer
in the 1988 Tour de France
. Hesjedal was the only Canadian to compete in the Tour de France for both 2008 and 2009. He was also the first Canadian to ride in the daunting race in more than 10 years.
At the end of the 2009 year Hesjedal was selected as Canadian cyclist of the decade and male Canadian cyclist of the year. The honour was given to him from Canadian Cyclist and the results came from an online poll. He was also named male international cyclist of the year of 2009 from Cycling BC.
During the 2010 Tour de France
, Hesjedal finished 4th in the third stage after leading by himself for much of the race until being caught in the last 6 km. He was awarded the most combative rider on the day and thus wore red numbers for the fourth stage. On the 22nd of July 2010 Hesjedal again finished fourth in Tour de France, this time on stage 17 on the famed slopes of the Col du Tourmalet
. Hesjedal went on to finish seventh in the 2010 Tour de France, the highest Canadian finish in the TDF in 22 years, when Bauer finished fourth in the 1988 Tour de France
. Hesjedal went on to say of his result that “I hope this result does positive things for Canadian cycling and motivates the next generation of Canadian cyclists. I hope that’s the biggest thing that comes out of this...This placing will be there [in the books] forever...If this makes more Canadians aware of cycling, and want to cycle, then it will have been worth it for that alone."
2003
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
WD = withdrew
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
at the 2001 Under-23 world championship. He turned professional with in 2005 after several years with the continental team.
Personal
His great-grandparents were Norwegian immigrants from Beiarn in Nordland and Stamnes in VaksdalVaksdal
is a municipality in the county of Hordaland, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Nordhordland. The administrative centre is the village of Dalekvam....
.
Career
A climber and time trialistTime trialist
A time trialist is a road bicycle racer who can maintain high speeds for long periods of time, to maximize performance during individual or team time trials...
, he was selected by Discovery Channel for the 2005 Giro d'Italia
2005 Giro d'Italia
The 2005 Giro d'Italia, the 88th running of the race, was held from 7 May to 29 May 2005, consisting of 21 stages for a total of 3,417 km, ridden at an average speed of 37,375 km/h...
and helped Paolo Savoldelli
Paolo Savoldelli
Paolo Savoldelli is an Italian former road racing cyclist and winner of the 2002 and 2005 Giro d'Italia....
win, although failing to complete the course himself. After 2005 he joined the Swiss team, Phonak. There he began to build some of his best results, finishing fourth in the 2006 Volta a Catalunya and second in the 2006 Canadian time trial championship. Later that season he rode the Vuelta a España, although he dropped out near the end to concentrate on the road world championships
2006 UCI Road World Championships
The 2006 UCI Road World Championships took place in Salzburg, Austria, between September 19 and September 24, 2006. The event consisted of a road race and a time trial for men, women and men under 23....
in Salzburg. He achieved only modest results. The end of the Phonak team led him to Health Net
Health Net Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis
Health Net Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis was run by Momentum Sports Group and based in the United States....
for 2007. For 2008 he joined Garmin-Slipstream and helped Christian Vande Velde to fifth in the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
.
In 2009 Hesjedal competed in the Vuelta a España
2009 Vuelta a España
The 2009 Vuelta a España was the 64th Vuelta a España. The event took place from 29 August to 20 September 2009. For only the second time in the race's history, it began away from Spanish soil, with the race not in fact reaching Spain until Stage 5....
, winning the 12th stage. He was the first Canadian to have won a Vuelta stage and the first Canadian individual winner of a Grand Tour stage since Steve Bauer
Steve Bauer
Steven Todd Bauer, MSM is a former professional road bicycle racer from Canada. He is an Olympic medallist and winner of several professional races.-Cycling career:...
in the 1988 Tour de France
1988 Tour de France
The 1988 Tour de France was the 75th Tour de France, taking place from July 4 to July 24, 1988. It consisted of 22 stages over 3281 km, ridden at an average speed of 38.909 km/h...
. Hesjedal was the only Canadian to compete in the Tour de France for both 2008 and 2009. He was also the first Canadian to ride in the daunting race in more than 10 years.
At the end of the 2009 year Hesjedal was selected as Canadian cyclist of the decade and male Canadian cyclist of the year. The honour was given to him from Canadian Cyclist and the results came from an online poll. He was also named male international cyclist of the year of 2009 from Cycling BC.
During the 2010 Tour de France
2010 Tour de France
The 2010 Tour de France was the 97th edition of the Tour de France cycle race, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It started on with an 8.9 km prologue time trial in Rotterdam, the first start in the Netherlands since 1996...
, Hesjedal finished 4th in the third stage after leading by himself for much of the race until being caught in the last 6 km. He was awarded the most combative rider on the day and thus wore red numbers for the fourth stage. On the 22nd of July 2010 Hesjedal again finished fourth in Tour de France, this time on stage 17 on the famed slopes of the Col du Tourmalet
Col du Tourmalet
Col du Tourmalet is the highest road in the central Pyrenees in the department of Hautes-Pyrénées in France. Sainte-Marie-de-Campan is at the foot on the eastern side and the ski station La Mongie two-thirds of the way up. Luz-Saint-Sauveur is at the bottom of the western side.Tourmalet is also a...
. Hesjedal went on to finish seventh in the 2010 Tour de France, the highest Canadian finish in the TDF in 22 years, when Bauer finished fourth in the 1988 Tour de France
1988 Tour de France
The 1988 Tour de France was the 75th Tour de France, taking place from July 4 to July 24, 1988. It consisted of 22 stages over 3281 km, ridden at an average speed of 38.909 km/h...
. Hesjedal went on to say of his result that “I hope this result does positive things for Canadian cycling and motivates the next generation of Canadian cyclists. I hope that’s the biggest thing that comes out of this...This placing will be there [in the books] forever...If this makes more Canadians aware of cycling, and want to cycle, then it will have been worth it for that alone."
Palmares
2001- 2nd
U23 World Mountain Bike Championships
2003
- 2nd UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships – Cross Country
2006
- 4th Overall, Volta a Catalunya
2007
- 1st
National Time Trial Champion - 1st
Mountains classification, Tour de Georgia2007 Tour de GeorgiaThe 2007 Tour de Georgia was a seven-stage professional bicycle race held from April 16 through April 22, 2007 across the state of Georgia and into Tennessee. The race was part of the 2007 USA Cycling Pro Tour... - 10th Overall, Tour of California
2008
- 1st Stage 1 TTT Giro d'Italia2008 Giro d'ItaliaThe 2008 Giro d'Italia was the 91st running of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It began in Palermo on 10 May and ended in Milan on 1 June. Twenty-two teams entered the race, which was won by Spaniard Alberto Contador of the cycling team...
- 10th Monte Paschi EroicaMonte Paschi EroicaThe Montepaschi Strade Bianche, formerly known as Monte Paschi Eroica, is a road bicycle race held annually near Siena, in the region of Tuscany, Italy. The race was first organised in 2007 as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour and was held in October. From 2008 on the event has found a space in...
- 16th Overall, 2008 Summer Olympics – Time TrialCycling at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's road time trialThe Men's road time trial at the 2008 Summer Olympics took place on 13 August at the Urban Road Cycling Course. It was won by Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland.- Pre-race favorites :...
2009
- 1st Stage 12 Vuelta a España2009 Vuelta a EspañaThe 2009 Vuelta a España was the 64th Vuelta a España. The event took place from 29 August to 20 September 2009. For only the second time in the race's history, it began away from Spanish soil, with the race not in fact reaching Spain until Stage 5....
- 5th Clásica de San Sebastián2009 Clásica de San SebastiánThe 2009 Clásica de San Sebastián was the 29th edition of the Clásica de San Sebastián road cycling race. It took place on 1 August 2009, and was the tenth event of the 2009 UCI ProTour, and the eighteenth in the inaugural UCI World Ranking series. It began and ended in San Sebastián, in the...
- 8th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
- 10th Monte Paschi EroicaMonte Paschi EroicaThe Montepaschi Strade Bianche, formerly known as Monte Paschi Eroica, is a road bicycle race held annually near Siena, in the region of Tuscany, Italy. The race was first organised in 2007 as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour and was held in October. From 2008 on the event has found a space in...
- 11th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
2010
- 2nd Amstel Gold Race2010 Amstel Gold RaceThe 2010 Amstel Gold Race was the 45th edition of the Amstel Gold Race classic cycle race and took place on April 18, 2010. It was held on a 257.4 kilometres course from Maastricht to Cauberg as the sixth event of the 2010 UCI ProTour and the tenth event in the UCI World Ranking series...
- 3rd Grand Prix Cycliste de MontréalGrand Prix Cycliste de MontréalThe Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal is a one-day professional bicycle road race held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Its first edition was held on September 12, 2010 as the final event in the 2010 UCI ProTour....
Most Combative Rider
- 4th Grand Prix Cycliste de QuébecGrand Prix Cycliste de QuébecThe Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec is a one-day professional bicycle road race held in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Its first edition was on September 10, 2010, as the penultimate event in the 2010 UCI ProTour....
- Most Combative Rider
- 5th Montepaschi Strade Bianche
- 5th Overall Tour of California2010 Tour of CaliforniaThe 2010 Tour of California was the fifth running of the Tour of California cycling stage race. It was held from May 16–23, and was the first edition of the race held in the month of May, after the first four occurred in February. It was rated as a 2.HC event on the UCI America Tour...
- 1st Stage 8
- 6th Clásica de San SebastiánClásica de San SebastiánThe Donostia-Donostia Klasikoa - Clásica San Sebastián-San Sebastián is a cycle race that has been held every summer since 1981 in San Sebastián, Spain...
- 7th Overall Tour de France2010 Tour de FranceThe 2010 Tour de France was the 97th edition of the Tour de France cycle race, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It started on with an 8.9 km prologue time trial in Rotterdam, the first start in the Netherlands since 1996...
- Combativity awardCombativity awardThe combativity award, , is a prize given in the Tour de France. It favours constant attackers and since 1981 the winner of the award has not won the whole Tour.- History :...
– Stage 4
2011
- 1st Stage 2 TTT Tour de France2011 Tour de France-Pre-race favourites:2010 winner Alberto Contador was suspended from cycling during a doping investigation from September 2010 to February 2011, during which time 2010 runner-up Andy Schleck was regarded as the favourite. When the suspension was lifted, Contador declared his desire to compete in...
- 3rd Stage 16 Tour de France2011 Tour de France-Pre-race favourites:2010 winner Alberto Contador was suspended from cycling during a doping investigation from September 2010 to February 2011, during which time 2010 runner-up Andy Schleck was regarded as the favourite. When the suspension was lifted, Contador declared his desire to compete in...
- 4th GP Miguel IndurainGP Miguel IndurainThe Grand Prix Miguel Indurain is a Spanish one-day road bicycle race. The race was inaugurated in 1951, but was limited to local competition. It was rebranded after the Spanish cyclist in 1998. In 2005, the race was upgraded to a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. For 2007 and 2008 the race was...
- 7th Overall Critérium InternationalCritérium InternationalThe Critérium International is a two-day bicycle stage race held in France every spring. It was formerly known as the Critérium National de la Route, first run in 1932....
- 9th Overall Tour of the Basque Country2011 Tour of the Basque CountryThe 2011 Tour of the Basque Country, was the 51st running of the Tour of the Basque Country cycling stage race. It started on 4 April in Zumarraga and ended on 9 April in Zalla and consisted of six stages, including a race-concluding individual time trial...
- 10th Overall Tour of California2011 Tour of CaliforniaThe 2011 Amgen Tour of California was the sixth running of the Tour of California cycling stage race. It was held from May 15–22, and was rated as a 2.HC event on the UCI America Tour. Originally scheduled for eight stages, the race was due to begin in South Lake Tahoe, but snow around the Lake...
Olympic Record
| Olympic | 2004 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|
| Men's Mountainbike, Cross-Country | DNF | – |
| Men's Road Race Cycling at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's road race The men's road race, a part of the cycling events at the 2008 Summer Olympics, took place on August 9 at the Urban Road Cycling Course in Beijing. It started at 11:00 China Standard Time , and was scheduled to last until 17:30 later that day... |
– | 54 |
| Men's Time Trial Cycling at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's road time trial The Men's road time trial at the 2008 Summer Olympics took place on 13 August at the Urban Road Cycling Course. It was won by Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland.- Pre-race favorites :... |
– | 16 |
Grand Tour General Classification results timeline
| Grand Tour | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Giro d'Italia The Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar... |
WD 2005 Giro d'Italia The 2005 Giro d'Italia, the 88th running of the race, was held from 7 May to 29 May 2005, consisting of 21 stages for a total of 3,417 km, ridden at an average speed of 37,375 km/h... |
- | - | 60 2008 Giro d'Italia The 2008 Giro d'Italia was the 91st running of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It began in Palermo on 10 May and ended in Milan on 1 June. Twenty-two teams entered the race, which was won by Spaniard Alberto Contador of the cycling team... |
- | - | - |
 Tour de France The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The... |
- | - | - | 47 2008 Tour de France The 2008 Tour de France was the 95th Tour de France. The event took place from 5–27 July 2008. Starting in the French city of Brest, the tour entered Italy on the 15th stage and returned to France during the 16th, heading for Paris, its regular final destination, which was reached in the 21st stage... |
49 2009 Tour de France The 2009 Tour de France was the 96th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It started on 4 July in the principality of Monaco with a individual time trial which included a section of the Circuit de Monaco... |
7 2010 Tour de France The 2010 Tour de France was the 97th edition of the Tour de France cycle race, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It started on with an 8.9 km prologue time trial in Rotterdam, the first start in the Netherlands since 1996... |
18 2011 Tour de France -Pre-race favourites:2010 winner Alberto Contador was suspended from cycling during a doping investigation from September 2010 to February 2011, during which time 2010 runner-up Andy Schleck was regarded as the favourite. When the suspension was lifted, Contador declared his desire to compete in... |
 Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages... |
- | WD | - | WD 2008 Vuelta a España The 2008 Vuelta a España was the 63rd edition of the Vuelta a España, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The event took place from 30 August to 21 September 2008 over 21 stages covering . The first stage was a team time trial in Granada. The event finished in Madrid 23 days later... |
- | - |
WD = withdrew