Everything about Ryder Hesjedal’s career has been about progression. Since attending Belmont High School in Langford, the Victoria native has gone on to become one of the world’s premier cyclists. For the last four years, Hesjedal has competed in the Tour de France with his best result being seventh overall in 2010. After a series of setbacks, Hesjedal still managed to finish 18th overall in 2011. And somewhere along the line, Hesjedal’s life-long passion for cycling evolved, and he became an inspiration for Canadian cyclists.
“It helps me keep working hard and stay motivated,” says Hesjedal, having just arrived in Colorado for the start of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. “It’s not just me – there’s a lot of people that support me, so it’s nice to be able to give back and excite new people and get younger riders into the sport and help it develop.”
Becoming an inspiration to riders was all part of Hesjedal’s plan—one he has yet to deviate from since he started riding in the Highlands as a youth. Hesjedal knew he’d really reached that level once he started competing in the world’s toughest race on the world’s biggest stage: the Tour De France.
“It’s the Tour De France that brought that broad awareness,” says Hesjedal, “and to be able to keep developing and ride the way I did, especially last year, that’s been the key thing. I know people are aware and take notice and know who I am, but on that note it doesn’t change who I am or how I’ve done things, or continue to do them after the last 15 years.”
In that time Hesjedal has gone from a competitive mountain biker, to an Olympian, to one of the true cycling elite, competing in the toughest and most gruelling races in the world. When Hesjedal rode across the Champs-Élysées at the end of the 2011 Tour De France, he had just raced for 21 days straight and over 3,400 kilometres—that’s nearly seven-and-a-half times the length of Vancouver Island. It’s not so much endurance as it is madness and gluttony for punishment, and Hesjedal still completed the race despite several crashes erasing his dreams of winning the GC (the individual championship).
“It could always be worse,” notes Hesjedal. “Guys are going home every day with broken bones and all that type of stuff. You just focus on what needs to happen the next day, and you can’t really worry about the past and looking back, wasting the opportunities in front of you. That’s what it’s all about.”
2012 is looking promising for Hesjedal, as he continues to improve and push his career forward. After he finishes this year’s racing season and gets married in December, another year is set to begin. Although Hesjedal considers himself fortunate to have had such a fantastic last few years professionally, he’s still hungry for cycling’s top prize.
“Since 2008 really I feel like I’ve improved every year,” he says, “and as long as I keep doing that it’s going good. All I’m focused on now is keeping that trend going and seeing how far I can take it.”