Ryder Hesjedal (Cannondale-Garmin) on Friday downplayed his own chances for overall victory at the upcoming Tour of Alberta, saying he’s unsure of where his form will be after 77 race days so far this season.
Fresh off the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France double, which he tied together with the Route du Sud and topped off with Classica San Sebastian, the 34-year-old Canadian will compete in the Tour of Alberta next week for the second time, returning to the race's third edition after skipping last season to ride the Vuelta a Espana.
Hesjedal took part in the inaugural event in 2013 following another Giro-Tour double, finishing 60th overall in Alberta on his way to helping then-teammate Rohan Dennis (BMC) take his first professional win. Hesjedal went on a week later to finish third in the one-day Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal WorldTour race won by Peter Sagan. He hinted on Friday in a conference call with reporters that his 2015 Alberta outing could unfold in similar fashion.
ADVERTISEMENT
“To go through the season, just to get to September and go to the events that you want to be at is a real accomplishment in itself,” he said.
“In 2013, it was kind of the same situation. I had done the Giro – or half; I had to stop because I was sick. I went to the Tour de France and was struggling, but I was still able to come to Tour of Alberta and help my teammates win. And the Tour of Alberta gave me legs to contest for the win in Montreal and get on the podium.”
This season hasn’t exactly unfolded like Hesjedal’s 2013 adventure, to be sure. Following his history-making win at the 2012 Giro, Hesjedal went into the Italian Grand Tour in 2013 as a favourite for the overall, only to abandon before stage 13.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest News http://ift.tt/1JDZ7Ar
No comments:
Post a Comment