The Belmont Secondary School graduate, the first Canadian to ride the Tour de France in more than 10 years and only the fourth Canadian ever to ride it, completed his second consecutive French tour by placing in the top 50 in July with the runner-up Garmin-Slipstream team.

Then, on just six days’ rest following the punishing 3,500 kilometres of the Tour de France, the Colwood-raised Hesjedal placed an impressive fifth in the 237-kilometre San Sebastian Classic, Europe’s most prestigious one-day cycling race.

Now, it’s back in the bicycle saddle again.

“Typical Spain in summer — it’s blasting hot and we’re going hard on the pedal four to six hours each day,” Hesjedal said.

After the Tour of Spain ends Sept. 20 in Madrid, the two-time Olympian will conclude the season at the 2009 world road championships Sept. 23-27 in Mendrisio, Switzerland.

As an indication of how big cycling is in Europe and other parts of the world, about 250,000 fans will attend the world championships, with the television audience estimated at 300 million.

That will conclude a busy post-Beijing summer of world championships for Island athletes.

Swimmer Ryan Cochrane of Victoria and the Elk Lake-based Canadian men’s rowing eight followed up last year’s Olympic medals with medals at their respective 2009 worlds in Rome and Poland. Runner Gary Reed of Victoria fell short at the world track and field championships in Berlin.

Simon Whitfield of Victoria, a dramatic Beijing Olympics silver medallist, and much-touted Stelly’s Secondary grad Kirsten Sweetland will compete in the world triathlon championships next weekend on the Gold Coast of Australia.

During the weekend in Canberra, Australia, two-time Olympian Geoff Kabush of Victoria finished fifth in the elite men’s race at the 2009 world mountain-biking championships.

The Courtenay native and UVic mechanical engineering grad, who grew up riding the trails of Mount Washington, provided the best men’s showing for Canada at the mountain-biking worlds since Hesjedal’s silver-medal performance in 2003. A slow tire leak probably cost Kabush at least the silver or bronze medals, behind winner Nino Schurter of Switzerland.

Victorians Max Plaxton and 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games silver medallist Seamus McGrath were 22nd and 42nd, respectively. UVic grad Catharine Pendrel of Kamloops, fourth last summer in Beijing, was sixth in the women’s race, behind champion Irina Kalentieva of Russia.

Hesjedal, the mountain-biking world medallist turned road warrior, said it will be a highlight of the summer when he, too, exchanges his Garmin club jersey for Canadian national team colours later this month at the road worlds.

“What I’m gearing up for during the Tour of Spain is to build up to be in top condition to race for Canada at the world championships,” said Hesjedal, 28, who is under contract to Garmin-Slipstream through 2011.

“That’s my main goal right now.”

After the worlds, Hesjedal has his airline ticket booked for Victoria on Sept. 30. It will be time for some good ol’ down-home Colwood cooking after a hectic summer. It’s much the same for the other Island internationals as the summer sports season slips away.

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