Ryder Hesjedal, Tour de France stage 5 Canada’s Pedal Magazine interviews Ryder Hesjedal on his recent success at the Tour de France and his plans for the Olympics in Beijing.

From the Q&A
PEDAL: What were your emotions riding onto the Champs-Élysées for the first time having completed your first Tour de France and where does that compare to other cycling moments for you?

Ryder: “That’s a tough one, I don’t know if I can compare it to anything, it’s so special and unique…When you finally get into the urban centre of Paris after three weeks and you catch the Eiffel Tour poking up out of the corner of your eye and then you get into the main streets there and you do turn onto the Champs-Élysées and see the Arc de Triomphe it’s pretty hard to describe the energy and feeling and the amount of people that are there, and you just know you did it and you just have nine more loops of this thing and that’s a wrap. It’s just full gas, full emotion, full energy and it went by pretty quick actually (laughs) and all of a sudden you’re changed and you’ve got sneakers on and you’re back on the Champs victory style, checking out all the people – that’s what it’s all about!”