By Cleve Dheensaw, Timescolonist.com

When cycling enthusiasts Jon Watkin and Cody Graham watched fellow Victorian Ryder Hesjedal place seventh in the Tour de France last month, they figured it deserved hometown acknowledgment.

So Watkin and Graham took it upon themselves to arrange it.

"Ryder is a hometown hero and we want to congratulate him," said Watkin, race director of the Bastion Square Criterium. Hesjedal's result was the best by a Canadian since Steve Bauer's fourth place in 1988.

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By Andrew Hood - VeloNews

Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Transitions) can’t wait to race in front of home crowds next month in a pair of one-day ProTour races in September that should be an emotional homecoming for the Canadian.

Hot off Canada’s best Tour de France performance since Steve Bauer was fourth in 1988, Hesjedal will bypass the upcoming Vuelta a España and race in Canada for the first time in three years. Hesjedal can expect a rousing welcome home.

“The reaction has been great back in Canada. People are excited about what I’ve been able to achieve during the Tour,” Hesjedal told VeloNews. “It’s gotten into the mainstream media back home. It started about halfway through the Tour and fortunately I was able to keep the ride going all the way into the third week of the Tour.”

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