LONDON — Ryder Hesjedal earned himself some fame by becoming the first Canadian to win one of cycling’s big events, the Giro d’Italia.
But apparently he isn’t quite a household name outside of the Hesjedal household.
The Canadian cycling star got what amounted to a rock star’s greeting — at least from the assembled Canadian media — at the St. Pancras train station as he arrived from Belgium aboard the Eurostar, along with many curious Londoners wondering for whom the reception was waiting.
“Who?” asked one woman who shrugged her shoulders and wandered away when told Hesjedal’s name.
The 31- year- old certainly made a number of Canadians sit up and notice when he won the Giro d’Italia, the first Grand Tour win by a Canadian and he comes into these Olympics as somebody to watch. Still, the Victoria native was asked Wednesday to trace the origins of his name (it’s Norwegian) and had to tell at least one reporter how to pronounce it (three syllables).
He comes into these Games as one of Canada’s few medal hopes, but this might be a case of the expectations getting a jump on reality. As the lone Canadian in the men’s road race Saturday, he will not have the benefit of teammates to help him with drafting and strategy so he’ll be in tough, despite predictions he could grab a spot on the podium.
Hesjedal had to withdraw from the Tour de France when he was part of a crash in the seventh stage and suffered some severe bruising on his left leg and hip. He couldn’t pedal properly and smartly withdrew. He said he’s over the injury and has been productively training.
“I had some good days the last couple of days. I’ve been in Belgium riding. I went to Paris on Sunday to visit my team and watch the finish of the Tour. I feel good. I’ve been training good since before then in Spain, so I’ve been training my ass off. We’ll see how it goes,” he said.
It could turn out not finishing the Tour could be a blessing for Hesjedal, but the fact of the matter is he probably won’t have much more energy reserves than those who finished.
“I was in top form in the Tour and I don’t think I lost any of that conditioning,” said Hesjedal. “I just had to stop racing to not further the injury. I was able to get the recovery done properly. I’ve controlled my training and kind of prolonged that form. I’m even more optimistic about my ability to be able to perform in these one-day events.”
Hesjedal is going to be in tough against the host Britons, who have a five-man team. Hesjedal said he’ll have to count on the relationships he’s forged with other riders to help him out in the 250-kilometre race Saturday.
“Fortunately I know all the guys out there. It’s pretty straightforward. I can ride off the other teams and find my own way,” he said. “The only situation that’s going to be good for me is a small group if the race is really hard as early as possible and I can ride with a small group and there won’t be many guys with teammates at that point.”
Hesjedal isn’t taking anything for granted gvien recent events.
“I’m healthy and I get to represent Canada at the Olympics. It’s all good right now.”
After he made his way to a waiting car, a woman and her two sons dismounted their bikes and the kids approached Hesjedal for autographs. Guess somebody in London knows who he is.
Maybe even more people will know in the next week or so.