Oh, Canada! Ryder's patriotic machine for the Tour de France
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Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) is racing the 2012 Tour de France on this custom painted Cervélo R5ca.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) runs an aluminum bar and stem from 3T. Normally the white '3T' logo shows clearly through the faceplate but here it's camouflaged by the custom white faceplate.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
A flurry of red maple leaves decorate the top tube.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Ryder Hesjedal's ((Garmin-Sharp) Cervélo R5ca isn't designed with electronic drivetrain in mind so mechanics resort to tape and zip-ties to run the wires.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The light Cervélo R5ca frame allows Garmin-Sharp mechanics greater liberties in choosing ancillary gear, such as secure-holding Arundel stainless steel bottle cages instead of carbon fiber ones.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The upper headset cover is removed to allow a few more millimeters of handlebar drop while the steerer is reinforced with aramid fiber.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
180mm-long Rotor 3D+ crankarms are attached to an SRM power measuring spider and solid Rotor round chainrings.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The Garmin-Sharp team's pedals are branded as 'Garmin' but they're still being used without any sign of power measuring hardware.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
2012 Giro d'Italia winner Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) doesn't just get to romp across the roads of France still basking in his win – he also is doing so as a proud Canadian aboard a specially painted Cervélo R5ca.
There's simply no mistaking Hesjedal's heritage when looking at his bike, much of which is covered in glossy white paint and countless red maple leaves in contrast to the matte black finish of a standard R5ca. Rotor gets into the game as well with custom anodized 3D+ crankarms – they're smattered with a bit of pink but also another maple leaf that's laser-etched on the inside of the arm. Finishing touches are provided by a white 3T ARX Team stem, a white fi'zi:k Arione Carbon Tri 2 saddle and handlebar wrap, and red finishing tape.
Aerodynamics may be all the rage in the cycling industry these days but Hesjedal's R5ca epitomizes the classic performance metrics of stiffness and low weight. In fact, the R5ca – which is hand-built in Cervélo's California development facility by its own engineers, not factory workers – is the company's lightest-ever frame at a claimed mass of around 700g. The bike still has to meet UCI minimum weight guidelines, however, but Cervélo CEO and co-founder Phil White tells BikeRadar that the 100g or so of savings relative to the standard R5 affords greater latitude in selecting the rest of the equipment while still yielding a highly responsive chassis.
As such, Hesjedal's build kit is light but not unusually so. Noteworthy bits include a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 transmission with top mounted satellite shifters, 180mm-long Rotor 3D+ cranks with an SRM power meter spider and custom laser etching, a comfy fi'zi:k Arione Carbon Tri 2 saddle, stainless steel bottle cages from Arundel, and an aluminum bar and stem from 3T. Mavic Cosmic Carbone Ultimate tubulars were fitted when we visited the team hotel along with Garmin Vector pedals – albeit without the electronic guts.
Hesjedal stands at 1.88m (6' 2") tall and yet he rides a comparatively tiny 56cm frame. Much of that is based on his extreme position, which includes a gargantuan handlebar drop of over 17cm. Even with the shorter head tube afforded by the downsized frame, Hesjedal still runs a 140mm-long stem with a -17° angle, and even removes the upper headset cover to gain another couple of millimeters.
Team mechanic Alex Banyay told BikeRadar that the bike wasn't quite 6.8kg as shown but that it "will be" come the mountains. Our guess is that it likely isn't far off now.
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Rider's height: 1.88m (6' 2") Rider's weight: 72kg (159lb) Saddle height, from BB (c-t): 827mm Saddle setback: 100mm Seat tube length, c-t: 544mm Seat tube length, c-c: 505mm Tip of saddle nose to C of bars (next to stem): 646mm Saddle-to-bar drop (vertical): 174mm Head tube length: 173mm Top tube length: 580mm Total bicycle weight: 6.8kg (14.99lb, claimed, in race trim)
