I’m not scared of the Giro.”
Of course Hesjedal wishes Tinkoff would let a break go, particularly one with him in it — the Cannondale-Garmin rider likes his chances out of any move, particularly in the mountainous stages this week. But perhaps the top of the leaderboard still has reason to keep him in check.
Hesjedal moved himself into the top 10 on Tuesday. After riding in the breakaway, he hit the Mortirolo just ahead of a charging lead group and crossed the pass ahead of Fabio Aru, in a small group with Yuri Trofimov (Katusha) and Andrey Amador (Movistar). He moved up 10 places since the morning of the Giro’s long, stage 14 time trial, knocking more riders off the rankings above him with each stage. If his GC ascendance continues on its current course, he could just slide into the top five before Milan.
His form is getting better, he said, and he’s not afraid to put it on the line. That’s why he’s jumping into breakaways — even though a ride like today could have easily backfired.
“I’m happy with the result [of today’s stage]. I got out there, I raced. If I came in 30 minutes down, maybe I could say that what I did didn’t make sense,” he said.
“It’s just frustrating. I want to be performing. It’s just about going out and racing, going for it, and not being scared. I’m not scared to lose 13th overall. Whatever the result is after the outcome of choosing to race the way … That’s it. I’d rather just do this,” he said.
“I think you can tell from the way I’m riding, I’m not scared of the Giro. So we’ll see how the rest of the race goes.”
Read more at http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/05/news/hesjedal-saxo-just-annihilates-themselves_371775#sQo5g4omei2ifP2C.99