BY PERRY LEFKO
sportsnet.ca

Ryder Hesjedal made headlines this summer by finishing seventh at the Tour de France, the best result by a Canadian since Steve Bauer placed fourth in 1988. On Sunday, the 29-year-old Victoria, B.C. native who is currently ranked No. 6 in the world by the International Cycling Union (ICU), will provide a major Canadian name to the 2010 Queen's Park Grand Prix Pro Am race in Toronto, presented by sportsnet.ca.

Hesjedal, who placed a respectable third last weekend in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal, is enjoying the chance to compete in front of Canadian fans and took the time to speak to sportsnet.ca about a myriad of topics including the Tour de France, his new contract, the continued controversy with Lance Armstrong and raising the profile of cycling in Canada.

SN: It's been several weeks since the Tour de France, have you had time to sit back and let it sink in and reflect on it?

Hesjedal: For sure. I was in Europe for a whole month (competing) right after the Tour. I just had to keep the legs churning and enjoy what I just did in Paris and had another good ride in Spain in San Sebastian (in the Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian) and really could sit back for about two weeks and just reflect on that good riding and realize what I just accomplished. I went back into training and did some racing in Italy and France before I headed back to Canada and (the result) was still as fresh as can be. That really kept me going and motivated, especially for the races in Canada. What I was able to do this past weekend in Quebec was definitely a highlight and a nice way to close out the season.

SN: I'm sure in the cycling community and certainly in Canada everyone knows you and what you did in France, but do people outside of the sport know you and recognize you because of what happened?

Hesjedal: It's hard to say. Since I've been back in Canada and Victoria from the Tour, when I go riding I'm pretty recognizable. I did a ride one day in Victoria and saw some people yelling that noticed me. Are they die-hard cycling fans or they knew me because of the Tour? You don't have to be a cycling fan to appreciate it and know how big of a sporting event it is. It's pretty hard to miss for three weeks in July. I definitely feel that impact since then and to experience what I did last weekend in Quebec and to be the home favourite and one of the favourites for the race and get the support I did, I'm pretty sure that came from the Tour de France. I was glad to live up to that and do well.

SN: What were your expectations for this year's Tour de France having competed in it the last two years?

Hesjedal: I just went into the winter full of confidence and motivation and everything went towards my schedule and planning through the season. I got results that were at a new level that I hadn't done, especially a second place in the Amstel Gold Race in Holland (on April 18). And then winning the final stage, probably one of the hardest, if not the hardest, in the Tour of California, that really carried me through the last preparation through June into the Tour de France. I was nothing but confident. I got myself up to have a good Tour de France and if things continued on that level I'd have a good opportunity to take advantage of it.

SN: Seventh in the Tour de France is a big deal given all the competition. Was a top-10 something you were looking at?

Hesjedal: No, not at all. We have a leader (on the team) and a proven top-10 rider on the Tour. I've never been a top-10 rider. There's no one supporting me to get a top-10 in the Tour de France. I'm one of the key riders to support (the team's leading rider). I've supported two top-5 performances (the last two years) leading into the 2010 Tour, so that was my role. Everything changed after stage two when basically the two main leaders in a sense had bad days and from stage three on my race was different.

SN: How will this change going forward insofar as your role in helping one of your more established teammates finishing higher up in the standings? Everything being equal going forward next year into the Tour, would you be one of those guys whose teammates will help you or will you still have to play a role working for somebody else?

Hesjedal: That always determines itself, structures itself. Teams change. Riders change. It's always evolving. I've already experienced being the leader, especially in these races in Canada. Not just because it was the home race in Canada and I wanted to do well. It's that I was capable of performing well. Not just because of the Tour de France, but also from before. I experienced that last weekend. I was the leader and had the support of the team. It's always changing with performing and making good on your opportunities.

SN: In cycling, is it like car racing in that every year you might be looking for another ride or switching to another team or are you contracted to your current team?

	A seventh place finish in France helped Hesjedal's exposure to race fans worldwide.

Hesjedal: That's always changing. In cycling, one-year deals are pretty common, two-year deals are pretty standard, three-year deals you don't hear about too often. Garman-Transitions signed quite a few riders on three-year deals starting next year and I'm one of them. That's a nice play to be in. I've been with the team already for three years and I just committed to another three, so that's a pretty nice stretch as far as being involved with one organization. It just depends on your situation and what you're contracted to. Early in the year I was performing well and looking to commit to the team. We were always in the same mindset. They're happy with me and I was happy with the team, and so any time you're having that kind of positive situation you're going to come to good terms and that's definitely the situation now.

SN: Do you look upon all this as accomplishing your dream, something that you may have thought about and wondered if it could ever happen?

Hesjedal: I realized that as soon as I turned professional in 1999 as an 18-year-old mountain biking. I'd already been competing as much as you can at the highest level as a junior and even raced in the elite race in mountain bikes in Canada. The first year I turned professional into the elite ranks, that was always my dream and I've been there ever since and that evolved into the Tour de France and all the other top races in the world. From February to October I try to represent my team as well as I can throughout the year. This has always been my dream and I feel like I've been there for over a decade.

SN: Is a race like the one in Toronto a fun thing and can you allow yourself to be not as intense as say the schedule leading up to the Tour de France?

Hesjedal: This is really just a nice opportunity that I was able to ride in a race like the Queen's Park Grand Prix, which is on the calendar. After the weekend in Quebec and the pressure that I had leading up to it and wanting to perform well and it being the last race to count towards the world ranking, I'm not going to feel too much pressure at the Queen's Park Grand Prix.

SN: What's it like to be ranked sixth overall?

Hesjedal: It's definitely important. It's something that people compete for. By no means is finishing in the top-10 or top-5 or winning it not a big deal. If you look down, you'll see a lot of classy riders in the top-50. I don't remember where I was last year. I definitely wasn't in the top-10, so I'm happy to be where I am now.

SN: With all the continuing controversy about Lance Armstrong and allegations of his using performance-enhancing drugs, do you feel you have to defend yourself or your sport to people who are critical of it?

Hesjedal: I don't think so. The sport has done more than any sport to correct that. The testing that's done from the Canadian sports bodies, the internal team testing to the world governing body, it's amazing how much we get tested. I feel really fortunate and happy and proud that I am where I am now at this time in cycling and performing at a good level because the past is really not relative. It doesn't affect me. I just look to the future. The sport is doing more than any other sport to bring out the best it can be.

SN: Do you think you can do something to raise the profile of cycling as a career to Canadians who maybe look at hockey first or baseball?

Hesjedal: First off you shouldn't approach anything, especially sport, thinking you're doing it to be a career in the sense of a financial thing. You have to love what you're doing and that's the base, especially being a top athlete in a sport. If it's about the money in any sport, I think you're gong to have a tough time. If you commit to something and you find the passion and love for it, you're going to find what you need from it. I would never encourage anyone to shoot for a professional sport based on the financial aspect.