It is in the vertical stages when Ryder Hesjedal鈥檚 cycling truly becomes animated. The Victoria pro showed again Thursday why he is such a noted climber by placing 15th in the first major ascent of the 2016 Giro d鈥橧talia.
The Colwood-raised Hesjedal finished one minute and 43 seconds behind winner Tim Wellens of Lotto Soudal in the 165-kilometre sixth stage from Ponte to Roccaraso. Like Hesjedal, the Belgian Wellens got his start as a mountain bike racer.
Hesjedal moved to 21st in the overall Giro standings, 1:28 in arrears of pink-jersey clad leading Dutch rider Tom Dumoulin from the Giant-Alpecin team.
鈥淚 am definitely happy with the day. It was a pretty hard day,鈥� said Hesjedal, in a statement released through his Trek Segafredo team.
鈥淭here were bad conditions on the long descent, earlier with the rain, and I could feel the tension building on a day like this, obviously, with a mountain-top finish like that . . . the first real one of the race.鈥�
The self-effacing Islander, the 2012 Giro champion and fifth last year, deflected the credit to his Trek teammates.
鈥淭he team was excellent in taking care of me and putting me in a good position ahead of the last climb,鈥� said the Belmont grad, a three-time Olympian for sa国际传媒.
鈥淚 was able to ride smart and more or less able to stay with everyone, minus a few. I felt like I was riding well. It鈥檚 still early in the race for me, so to get through a day like this, is a good sign.鈥�
Today鈥檚 210-kilometre seventh stage, from Sulmona to Foligno, is hilly but not mountainous.
The 21-stage, 3,383-kilometre 2016 Giro concludes May 29.
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