January 18/04 12:48 pm - Ryder Hesjedal Interview, CCES Sports & Supplements Discussion. Help Wanted

Posted by Editor on 01/18/04
 

Ryder Hesjedal Interview

Victoria's Ryder Hesjedal has been a mountain bike star since his days as a junior, and made a successful transition two seasons ago to the road, when he rode for Team Canada at the 2002 Tour de Langkawi (finishing 13th overall), and then signing with Rabobanks Division 3 squad and racking up some significant late season results, including an overall win at the Volta Catalunya de l'Avenir in Spain. He was tipped as a medal candidate for the espoir road race at the Worlds, but crashed badly in France in a tune up race and had to withdraw. Last year was his first as a senior rider, and he proved that he can certainly hold his own, with a silver medal performance at the Mountain Bike Worlds in Lugano. Now, he has upped the stakes even further, after having been signed by Lance Armstrong's U.S. Postal squad. Hesjedal will race on the road for the Posties, and will continue his off-road career with the Subaru-Gary Fisher squad. We recently had a chance to chat with Ryder from his home in Victoria, as he prepares for the coming season.

Canadian Cyclist - Signing with U.S. Postal is the big news. What is your schedule going to be like with them?

Ryder Hesjedal - I start in February, in Italy with the early Italian openers, then the Omloop Het Volk (Belgium) at the end of the month. In March I am back to North America, and I'll do the Norba opener (Waco, Texas).

I'll be back in Europe for April - 3 Days of de Panne, Gent-Wevelgem, Fleche Wallonne, Liege-Bastogne-Liege. The only races they (U.S. Postal) do is the big ones.

Then a good rest after Liege to get ready for Madrid (World Cup opener). Then it's all the World Cups, probably the Norba before Mont Ste Anne (Mount Snow), and get ready for Olympics and Worlds. If I'm still over (in Europe) after that, and still improving, I'm looking forward to the chance to do Road Worlds after.

CC - That's a pretty full season, with not much time in North America. Does that mean no Sea Otter?

RH - I'm still developing on the road, and you've got start sometime. My team (ie, Subaru-Gary Fisher) understands that you've got to make choices. I could win Sea Otter and finish 15th in Madrid, or (I could do this program) and possibly win a World Cup.

We (Canadians/Americans) race in North America and then go over to the early World Cups, and we are nowhere. The Euros have been doing Swiss Cups and Italian Cups and they are way ahead of us.

CC - How did the contact come about with U.S. Postal?

RH - There was some mutual awareness, just because of the Trek conglomerate. They've seen me with the Rabobank development program. I approached Johan (Bruyneels, U.S. Postal Director Sportif), and he said that they would love to have me on the team. It was really a no-brainer - everyone's happy (at Trek), and everyone's been supportive.

CC - So is this a one year deal?

RH - Yes, one year, 2004 for road and mountain bike. After 2004 I have some decisions to make about where I am going in cycling.


CCES Invites Feedback on Supplements and Sport

The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) would like to thank all those who provided feedback and commentary on the Supplements and Sport discussion paper that was released last December. Your comments and opinions will help the CCES develop a comprehensive action plan designed to deal with the issues surrounding the use of unregulated sport supplement products by athletes. The CCES will soon undertake a formal review of all information received during this period.

Due to the topical and sensitive nature of this issue, the CCES is extending the submission deadline for those who have not yet had the opportunity to respond. We encourage all athletes, coaches, parents, administrators, regulators and members of industry to read this discussion paper and submit your comments to us by Friday, January 23, 2004. For convenience, we have included a link to the discussion paper here:
www.cces.ca/pdfs/CCES-PAPER-SupplementsAndSport-E.pdf

As a complement to this initiative, the CCES has recently requested involvement from Sport Canada and other stakeholders in supporting an international initiative that will bring together experts, on the sport supplement issue, from all over the world. This event will bring us closer to achieving the goal of developing practical solutions that will give athletes peace of mind when choosing to use a supplement product.

Comments on the paper should be sent to cbuffone@cces.ca.


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