Victoria cyclist Ryder Hesjedal maintains his fourth-place standing overall in the 2010 Tour de France after a fifth stage race in the summer heat today.

“It was 42 degrees on the road today and I tried to save as much energy as possible,” Hesjedal said from France. “But it was a controllable breakaway over a flat stage [187.5 kilometres from Epernay to Montargis] and I was able to stay with it [to retain fourth place overall].”

Mark Cavendish of England sprinted for the stage victory while Hesjedal was behind with other top riders in the bunched main group.

The overall placings remained static with Hesjedal staying 46 seconds behind leader Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland. The Commonwealth pair of Geraint Thomas of Wales, 23 seconds behind Cancellara, and Cadel Evans of Australia, 39 seconds behind, were second and third overall with no change after the fifth stage.Michael Barry of Toronto, ninth in the road race at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics and the only other Canadian in the Tour, moved up one spot to 61st overall and is three minutes and 33 seconds behind Cancellara.

“The sprinters have the most interest in stages four, five and six [the latter a 227.5-kilometre leg from Montargis to Gueugnon on Friday],” noted Hesjedal.

On the weekend come the first mountain stages, a specialty for Hesjedal, the 2003 world mountain biking silver medallist, who grew up tackling the hilly off-road courses around the Western Communities.

“I am looking forward to the weekend and the mountains,” said the Belmont Secondary graduate, who competed in the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics in mountain bike and in the 2008 Beijing Games in road racing.


This year's 20-stage Tour de France encompasses 3,642 kilometres before concluding July 25 in Paris.

The 29-year-old Hesjedal is experiencing a breakthrough 2010. Earlier this year, he placed second in the Amstel Gold race in Valkenburg, Netherlands, one of the classic one-day road races, and won the final stage of the Tour of California, the top North American pro road race.

In 2008 and 2009, the Colwood-raised Hesjedal became only the fourth Canadian to ride in the Tour de France and the first in over a decade. The two-time Olympian placed 49th in 2009 and 45th in 2008. Hesjedal last summer also became the first Canadian to win a stage in the Tour of Spain, which with the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia comprise the Grand Tour of pro cycling. It was the first Grand Tour stage victory by a Canadian since Steve Bauer of Fenwick, Ont., in the 1988 Tour de France and followed up a second-place Tour of Spain stage placing by Hesjedal the week before.


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