Hesjedal celebrates hard-fought Giro d'Italia win

Ryder Hesjedal and trophy, Giro d'Italia 2012, stage 21

published 27 May 2012

Ryder Hesjedal became the first Canadian Grand Tour winner today in the Giro d'Italia. He surpassed Joaquin Rodriguez in the final time trial in Milan to win by 16 seconds.

It was a race of seconds from day one in Herning, Denmark. Team Garmin-Barracuda's Hesjedal put 14 seconds into Rodriguez of team Katusha. Rodriguez held tight, placed second, but still lost five seconds in the Verona team time trial. The race then headed uphill.

"We came with the objectives to be good in the first week - the prologue [stage 1 time trial], the first flat stages, the team time trial - we got that," Garmin's sports director, Allan Peiper said yesterday. "The guys just rode steadily. Christian [Vande Velde] said this team has never ridden like this before... and never taken control of the race. They have always been in the race, but never were the big boys. With the team we had, we used our resources to the maximum. It's been wonderful to be part of that."

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Founded in 1891, Cycling Weekly and its team of expert journalists brings cyclists in-depth reviews, extensive coverage of both professional and domestic racing, as well as fitness advice and 'brew a cuppa and put your feet up' features. Cycling Weekly serves its audience across a range of platforms, from good old-fashioned print to online journalism, and video.

Hesjedal celebrates hard-fought Giro d'Italia win

Useful links

Racing

buyers-guides

Reviews