A little more than a week after his historic win at the Giro d'Italia, it has been suggested Canadian road cyclist Ryder Hesjedal may lead Garmin-Barracuda at the 2012 Tour de France, according to a report.
However, the Tour ends just six days before the Olympic road race. The effort involved in competing at the top level in the Tour de France may prove too exhausting to consider also riding at the Olympics. That point will need to be carefully considered by the selection committee at Cycling Canada Cyclisme before the road team announcement on June 24, 2012.
Canada has just one spot for men's road cycling at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Any rider wishing to compete in the time trial must, according to the rules, start the road race. Without the advantage afforded by having a full team, Canada will need to prioritize the time trial for any hope of a medal in men's cycling.
Hesjedal has said he would very much like to represent Canada at the Olympics and is a strong time trial rider, but there is no doubt that a chance to win the Tour de France is perhaps the biggest glory in professional road cycling. For Hesjedal, it may become a question of one or the other.
Hesjedal's role as the nominated rider at the Giro d'Italia was in part done as an evaluation of the Canadian as an overall general classification rider. In winning the event, Hesjedal earned a spot as one of Canada's all-time best cyclists.
Although Garmin-Barracuda have yet to announce their final roster for the Tour de France – which starts June 30, 2012 – Hesjedal has said he is to start the Tour as the provisional team leader.
"I won this Giro and I'm not dead, and if anything I'm getting stronger and that's where you want to be," Hesjedal told Cyclingnews.com. "So I'm completely optimistic for the rest of the season. I have the luxury of having no pressure as well and nothing to lose."
Hesjedal is approaching the Tour de France in the same fashion he started the Giro – modestly. He has not offered any talk of where he hopes to finish, but rather that he is focused on performing to his potential, and seeing the results that follow.
A victory at the Tour would likely cement Hesjedal's reputation as Canada's best ever road cyclist, and would make him the first cyclist to win both the Giro and the Tour in the same year since Marco Pantani accomplished the feat in 1998.
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