Victoria cyclist Ryder Hesjedal is now the first Canadian to win the Giro d’Italia, often considered one of the world’s top cycling races.

Hesjedal won the prestigious event after a strong showing at today’s final leg, a 30-kilometre individual time trial.

The former professional mountain biker came into the race trailing the overall leader, Joaquin Rodriguez of Spain, by a mere 31 seconds.

With a strong reputation for riding well during time trials, Hesjedal did enough to win by finishing the final stage with a time of 34:15.

This come-from-behind performance put Hesjedal 16 seconds ahead of runner-up Rodriguez.

“I mean it’s just incredible, once I start to see my name with the list of other riders that have accomplished this, that’s pretty amazing,” Hesjedal said.

“This was very hard, I had to fight for this giro at the end there, that makes this victory even more sweet.”

Former Canadian cycling champion Steve Bauer said the victory was both exciting to watch and a huge boost for Canadian cycling.

“Even down to the last few kilometres he couldn’t make a mistake you know, he had to stay vigilant, not crash,” Bauer said. “A sixteen-second margin is so close, so exciting. Just congratulations to Ryder Hesjedal on a phenomenal performance.”

When the Canadian national anthem was played at the podium tears could be seen welling in the eyes of an exhausted and proud Hesjedal.

The win marks the first time a Canadian cyclist has won a Grand Tour. The three Grand Tour events include the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana.

In a statement, Prime Minister Stephen Harper applauded the accomplishment of Hesjedal.

“On behalf of all Canadians, I would like to congratulate Ryder Hesjedal for his amazing victory in the Giro d’Italia, riding for team Garmin-Barracuda.  This remarkable win in one of bicycle racing’s most grueling competitions is a testimony to Mr. Hesjedal’s training, endurance, skill and competitive spirit.
 
“It is a particularly proud moment for Canada given that this is the first time in the history of professional cycling that a Canadian has won one of the sport’s three grand tours.”
 
“We thank Mr. Hesjedal for this defining moment in Canadian sport and wish him well in his upcoming races, including this year’s Tour de France.”