Hesjedal give the thumbs up moments after hanging ten on the podium (Photo courtesy AP)

While Hesjedal has been simultaneously recuperating from his Giro efforts in his Spanish enclave in the northern parts of the country and eschewing attempts by Canadian officials to lure him home, Wilson has managed to achieve success with the Cohen Brothers. It seems the filmmaking duo have been eyeing a Big Lebowski prequel, tentatively titled “The Big Lebowski: The Dude Begins,” focusing on the character played by Jeff Bridges in the original film.

“Man, I tell you, there’s no one as chill as Ryder. He elevates chilling out to an art form. He’d be a natural for the role as The Dude. He even says ‘Mind if I do a J’ the same way Jeff says it,” commented a relaxed Wilson.

Pundits agree, especially after the Canadian’s latest interview with Velonews scribe Andrew Hood where Hesjedal was quoted as saying, “I only took three days off the bike. I’ve been taking it real easy. I wasn’t doing much. I’ve just been chilling out…” That boy is hella chill,” noted Hood.”He’s a natural. The amount of chilling out he does in a day would make him perfect as The Dude,” concurred  the journalist to this correspondent.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone besides Jeff Bridges wear a poncho with the same flair as Ryder,” declared Eurosport’s David Harmon. “Possibly Patrick Swayze in ‘Point Break,’ but that movie gave off a different vibe entirely,” mused the British sportscaster.

There are a few roadblocks to Hesjedal participating in the rumored production, the most important being July’s Tour de France, and potentially the Olympics afterwards. With the ‘Slackadian’ himself having confirmed his participation in the Tour as well as a possible shot at the Olympics, one must ask the question: Where does this leave his potential turn on the big screen?

“I’m just really enjoying the chill part of my season. Man, if it works out I can be The Dude after the Tour de France. I’d be stoked to be in the movie. I’m hoping they’ll move production to either Spain or Maui, as it would be a bit of a hassle if the filming was somewhere else,” commented Hesjedal.

He then paused for 20 minutes, inhaled a few hits of J, and watched the wind blow for another 15 minutes before finishing his initial thought.

“Not that I’d mind going somewhere else, cuz I’ll just go with the flow and it all should just work out. I’m chill,” Hesjedal concluded.

The laconic Norwedian concluded the interview by moving from the hammock in his yard and sauntering down to the terrace. There he continued his chillaxin’ at a barbecue with Slacker Pack members Laird Hamilton, Owen Wilson, Kelly Slater, and other notables from Maui who had joined Hesjedal for a month-long celebratory Spanish luau following his Giro victory. Rumor has it that Lance Armstrong flew in with a special New Belgium Brewing Company beer for the celebration, which he’d had specially made up by the Fort Collins company. No word if “Ryder Vibe Ale” would be hitting retail stores for the general public.

Following the conclusion of his post-Giro festivities, Hesjedal will prepare for the upcoming Tour de France with a training program that includes beer, blues music, and Tantric yoga. No word yet on whether this plan features plenty of “J” or not.

Cyclismas will continue to monitor this story as it develops.

Ryder in his early days, conquering mountain passes for Subaru/Gary Fisher. (photo courtesy of Vancouver Sun)

However, the celebration was marred by the realization of many key Canadians that their hero hasn’t lived in the country for a number of years. In fact, Ryder Hesjedal splits time between Maui, Hawaii in the off-season and Girona, Spain during the racing season.  The Canadian press was slow to react to this information, as many made the assumption that he still lived in Victoria, B.C. This information did not escape the scrutiny of the Canadian prime minister’s office, which monitors all prominent Canadians and their potential threat to national security.

“We are thrilled to have a Canadian-born winner of one of the three major Grand Tours, and we’re hoping to see Mr. Hesjedal repeat his efforts for a Tour de France win, and also a Tour de Spain win,” commented the prime minister’s office.

“I would like to welcome Ryder back to my country  as a conquering hero and hope he would consider moving back home to further his success on the world stage. We are willing to provide him with corporate tax relief, and a nice summer home in Muskoka as a generous gift by Tony Clement on behalf of the Harper Government/Conservative Party of Canada,” declared a magnanimous Stephen Harper via his PMO office underlings.

Owen Wilson, part of Ryder Hesjedal’s “Maui Posse,” offered his thoughts on the offer from the Canadian prime minister/dictator for life.

“Hey, you know, it’s great and all, but Ryder’s just not that style of dude. We have a chill existence here in Maui, and like, cars and stuff really don’t cramp our style. The water’s cold up there in Canada, and wet suits aren’t good for the environment. We’re at one with the world here. And he’s such an ambassador for our surfer way,” philosophized Wilson.

Canadian cycling pundit Bob McKenzie of extremecanadiancycling.com was surprised by the offer.

“Considering that the mayors of all the large Canadian cities want to run over cyclists since according to them they don’t belong on the road, I’m very surprised by the offer. Harper must be worried about public opinion finally turning against him. I mean, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford basically wants to put all cyclists in jail for just owning a bike,” commented McKenzie.

Former Canadian professional cyclist Brian Walton also chimed in with his thoughts on the offer.

“You have to realize that Canada Cycling pretty much ignored Ryder for the first 5 years of his career, so I think the offer from Harper is a nice gesture. I doubt that Ryder will take him up on it, though. He likes going home for a few weeks and then getting out of town,” stated Walton

Canadian Cycling official Gord Fraser was unavailable for comment.

Hesjedal will be taking some time off before heading to France to help his Garmin-Barracuda teammate Tom Danielson in his bid for Grand Tour glory.