Ryder Hesjedal is not considered one of the big favourites for this year’s Giro d’Italia. He has not been listed alongside Alberto Contador, Fabio Aru, Rigoberto Uran, Richie Porte and Domenico Pozzovivo as contenders for a place on the final podium in Milan. Yet the big five should ignore the big Canadian at their peril. Hesjedal won the 2012 Giro d’Italia by flying under the radar and this year’s race is again his Grand Tour goal of the season.
“I’m not riding the Giro to shoot for fortieth,” he tells Cyclingnews in an exclusive interview as the days count down to the start of the Corsa Rosa in San Remo.
“If I look at 2012, when I won and at 2013, before I got sick and had to quit, and in 2014 considering the situation then, I believe I can be up there this year. I’ve got the experience and everything has gone well so far this season. I’m ready for the challenge. There are a lot of great riders in the Giro but we’ve all got to get through the race and see the final result in Milan. I back myself.”
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Along with Damiano Cunego and Alberto Contador, Hesjedal is one of just three riders in this year’s Giro d’Italia who has won the Corsa Rosa.
“It’s really motivating when you’ve already won a big and important race like the Giro d’Italia,” he says. “When I look back at the 2012, how it unfolded, what happened, how I performed, the mistakes I made, the close battle with Joaquim Rodriguez and finally coming out on top and taking the maglia rosa, is a huge benefit. I know I can draw on all of that experience for this year.”
Leading Cannondale-Garmin
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