St Georges, Que - Ryder Hesjedal of the Health Net Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis has delivered the second Canadian national championship in the team's history. In 2004, Gord Fraser took out the road race title. Earlier today, Hesjedal rode his Cannondale Slice TT bike to the national time trial championship.

The tall Canadian covered the 40 km out-and-back course in 52.44, finishing 0:38 seconds ahead of last year's Canadian TT champ Svein Tuft (Symmetrics).

"It was a bit rainy at the start but eased up after a bit," Hesjedal said. "The majority of the out portion of the course was uphill, gaining maybe 300 or 400 meters. There was a lot of wind, but I was able to stay on top of my gears and keep a good cadence. After the turn, it was pretty much all downhill with a tailwind." The favorable conditions allowed Hesjedal to maintain a consistent 70 km/hr (about 42.5 mph) pace on the return portion on his way to the win.

"I've been close the last couple years," he said of his 3rd and 2nd place finishes in 2005 and 2006 respectively. "I wasn't going to be happy with less than a win this year.

"Svein is leading the UCI Americas Tour right now and he's been solid all year," Hesjedal said of Tuft. "I'm not a TT specialist, so to beat a guy like him is pretty special. It was a good victory and a good time trial. I've been wanting both for a while."

Results

1. Ryder Hesjedal, Health Net Presented by Maxxis 52.44
2. Svein Tuft, Symmetrics  @ 0:38
3. Zach Bell, Symmetrics @ 2:00