Ryder unromantic?
Is this really true? Is Ryder Hesjedal that shy and that unromantic?
To celebrate Valentines Day, the riders on Cannondale Garmin produced a best wishes video shot from their team camp in Mallorca.
Dan Martin, Nathan Haas, Alan Marangoni, Ted King, Ben King, Sebastian Langeveld, André Cardoso and Joe Dombrowski were all on camera with a special message. Conspicuously absent: Ryder Hesjedal.
Was this a late minute scratch? Was he not having “good sensations.” Was he too busy tweaking his saddle height? Did he decide to go for a longer ride than the rest? Did he Valentines Day message end up on the cutting floor. Was he having trouble with his character and motivation? What? Was he in fact no where near Mallorca?
Only a few days ago, team boss Jonathan Vaughters mentioned that Hesjedal is a very reserved person. He offered that as part of the explanation for Hesjedal keeping a silence about his doping past. “At the end of the day Ryder Hesjedal didn’t speak to the media that much before. He’s a quiet, more private guy,” said Vaughters.
Quiet, private, shy and now, what, unromantic? Just can’t manage ten seconds in front of a camera with his buddies?
We remember watching Hesjedal at the 2013 Tour de France. In the morning and after the stages he gave the impression that talking to media people was of zero interest.
He may be a great guy on the bus and an fantastic teammate but he seems very uncomfortable with the press, unlike Andrew Talansky or Dan Martin who will make a bit of time even after a brutal mountain stage.
Twisted Spoke says bro, loosen up, will ya? Come out of your shell, smell the roses, give us a smile and a joke.
Say Happy Valentines.
VALENTINE UPDATE: Not hours after we posted, the top person in charge of Cannondale-Garmin’s media relations, emailed Twisted Spoke to inform us that Hesjedal was not at the Mallorca training camp and therefore could not be part of the video. Left unresolved , however, is the bigger issue: is the former Giro winner a romantic type or a moe traditional chocolates and flowers kinda guy. Does he do his own gift wrapping, does he compose romantic poetry, does he engage in spontaneous acts of romance? Well, it’s a long season and perhaps by the end we will have a better idea.
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