page_title: Ryder Hesjedal
section_title: 2012
hierarchical_section_title: Ryder Hesjedal / Career / Slipstream–Chipotle (2008–15) / 2012
caption_attribution_description: English: Ryder Hesjedal during the individual time trial (ITT) during the 2012 Olympics.
context_page_description: Eric Ryder Hesjedal is a Canadian retired professional racing cyclist who competed in both mountain biking and road racing between 1998 and 2016. Hesjedal won a silver medal at the 1998 Junior, 2001 Under-23, and Elite world championship in mountain biking. He turned professional with U.S. Postal Service in 2004 after several years with the Rabobank continental team. Having previously finished in fifth place at the 2010 Tour de France, Hesjedal won his first and only Grand Tour at the 2012 Giro d'Italia, the first Grand Tour win by a Canadian. Other major wins include two stages at the Vuelta a España, the first such stage wins by a Canadian.
context_section_description: Hesjedal rode very strongly in the spring classics, including a 9th placing at Liège–Bastogne–Liège. He also rode the first 4 stages of the Tour de Romandie, but he did not complete the race since Garmin–Barracuda wanted to keep him rested in preparation for the Giro d'Italia, where he would be the team's leader for the overall classification, while his team-mate Tyler Farrar's task would be to contest the sprint finishes.
  His Giro that year got off to a good start, Garmin–Barracuda won the team time trial and put Hesjedal in fourth overall and within reach of the overall lead. On May 12, he became the first Canadian to lead the overall classification of the Giro and wear the pink jersey as leader of the general classification. He is the first Canadian rider since Steve Bauer in the 1990 Tour de France to wear an overall classification jersey from a Grand Tour. The event unfolded on stage 7, where the last of the escapees was caught with only 700 metres (2,300 feet) to go. Hesjedal finished 5th in the uphill finish atop Rocca di Cambio, 5 seconds behind stage winner Paolo Tiralongo of Astana, securing the leader's jersey. Though he would eventually lose the jersey to Joaquim Rodríguez, he again donned the pink jersey for the overall lead on stage 14 after attacking on the climb to Breuil-Cervinia and leaving his competitors unable to respond. However, Rodríguez managed to reclaim the overall lead the following day. During the mountain stages of the last week many expected Hesjedal to drop back in the overall standings, however, he remained in the fray hovering between 15 and 30 seconds back of the overall lead. As he was considered a strong time trialist and because of the fact that he attacked often on the final mountain stages, dropping contenders like Ivan Basso and Michele Scarponi, many were led to believe that Hesjedal would win the Giro on the final day, including race leader Rodríguez who conceded he had not done enough.
  When in fact the last day of the Giro was run on the streets of Milan for the time trial, Hesjedal completed the course in 34:15 which was indeed enough time to take the pink jersey for the final time. This completed his journey of becoming the first Canadian to win a Grand Tour and only the second time ever that the pink jersey changed hands on the last day of the Giro. His title was also notable in that it was done on an entirely made and manufactured Canadian bicycle by Cervélo. The victory elicited an immediate response from his home country of Canada, with the Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper releasing a statement saying "We thank Mr. Hesjedal for this defining moment in Canadian sport. This remarkable win in one of bicycle racing's most gruelling competitions is a testimony to Mr. Hesjedal’s training, endurance, skill and competitive spirit." Premier of British Columbia Christy Clark added that "For a British Columbian to have done this is amazing. I know this is going to go down as one of the great Canadian accomplishments ever in sport."
  Allan Peiper, the Garmin team's sporting director compared Hesjedal's 16 second victory to that of 2011 Tour de France winner Cadel Evans' victory. He noted the similarities in the fight to stay within striking distance on the final mountain stages and then the time-trial to victory that both riders had. Of his own final ride up the Stelvio Pass, Hesjedal said that "I was a bit concerned. As we approached the last part of the Stelvio, none of my rivals were willing to work to conserve their positions, either ... Those are all the tactics and situations. I basically had to save my own Giro in the last five [kilometres]. It was a huge effort."
  With his successful Giro, questions were asked if he would still ride the Tour de France. It was announced in early June that he would be Garmin's team leader for the Tour. Hesjedal was also announced as Canada's male rider in the Summer Olympics by the Canadian Olympic Committee in June. At the Tour de France, he was close to the overall lead in 8th, 18 seconds back, from the prologue through the first five s
caption: Hesjedal during the time trial at the 2012 Olympics.
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