Whereas taking up greater than a dozen gravel and mountain bike races would possibly appear to be a busy summer time forward, that’s nothing in comparison with Michael van den Ham’s Fall cyclocross schedule, filled with home and worldwide race targets. However that’s enterprise as regular for the longtime bicycle owner.
All images c. James Lissimore
What is completely different is his tighter give attention to gravel—pushing limits on the up to date Big Revolt gravel bike earlier than shifting to ‘cross.
Regardless of simply ending the cyclocross season at World Championships in Arkansas, van den Ham is nearly instantly pivoting to gravel—a shift that doesn’t simply require a change of motorcycle, however a significant change in coaching technique.
Michael’s season began March 12 at MidSouth in Oklahoma (the place he completed 18th general), earlier than heading to Sea Otter after which returning to Canada for Paris to Ancaster, racing nearly each weekend by means of the summer time. His schedule contains some mountain bike racing in Canada, and whereas he loves racing on the paths, he’s additionally serving as MTB Head Coach with DEVO—the youth arm of the Escape Velocity Biking Membership in Vancouver—for the upcoming 12 months. Then, it’s onto a full cyclocross season.
“I’m actually enthusiastic about gravel racing this season,” van den Ham says. “The brand new Revolt is noticeably lighter, feels a bit of snappier with out dropping stability, has extra tire clearance, provides me the choice to run a dropper, and has mounts for absolutely anything I may think about. It’s going to be simply as comfy racing MidSouth as it will likely be driving the technical single monitor and chunky FSRs in my yard in Chilliwack, BC.”
“I used to attempt to arrange all my gravel bikes to be as near my ‘cross bikes as attainable, however recently I’ve began to go in the exact opposite route. The best way I take a look at it, I have already got a ‘cross bike, so I would like my gravel bike to be about as removed from that as attainable to actually develop my driving zone with a dropper put up, 50c tires, and a double ring. It’s fairly simple to go from that extra gravity gravel setup one weekend to a a lot racier feeling arrange the subsequent. Simply flip the chip, put some 40c tires on, and you’ve got a snappy-feeling gravel race bike.”
The opposite huge distinction this 12 months is that he’s going all-in on himself as an athlete, choosing a privateer program that can permit him to give attention to what issues most: racing onerous. With new illustration by means of Encourage Athlete Administration (IAM), the 29-year-old Canadian has huge plans for the season forward. “Michael is strictly the type of athlete we like to work with,” says Simon Williams of IAM. “He’s devoted, targeted, and proficient, and with the suitable program in place, we imagine he can do nice issues in biking.”
Williams’ sentiments are echoed by Steve Devantier, the Advertising and marketing Supervisor at Big Canada: “Michael has at all times worn his coronary heart on his sleeve, and it’s his honesty and keenness for biking that first grabbed our consideration. Having an athlete as real as Michael representing our model has been superb, and one of many huge causes we had been excited to signal with him for one more two years. That, and he’s fairly fast on a motorbike.”
“I’ve at all times run my very own program. I’ve by no means been on street groups, I’ve by no means been on a giant cyclocross workforce—or no less than, once I was, it was one which I used to be operating! However these the previous couple of years, I spotted I used to be simply spending a lot power and energy attempting to make all these items occur, and the work required to run my very own program was crushing me and affecting my potential to coach and race successfully,” van den Ham explains. “I wished to take it off my plate so I may give attention to the actual work I’m doing with racing. I really feel like my whole profession has been realizing that I don’t know what I’m able to till I decide to doing one thing all the way in which.”
Already on board for the 2022 season are longtime companions Big, Easton, Garneau, Robert Axle Mission, and Problem Tires. “Easton Biking has been onboard with Michael since 2014, and we’re excited to help his new privateer program as he tackles a bigger endurance schedule, forward of his already expansive cyclocross calendar,” says Matt Hornland of Easton Biking. “He continues to be the nicest Males’s Canadian Cyclocross Nationwide Champion we’ve ever sponsored and was an important a part of getting the Easton Overland workforce off the bottom. We’re stoked to help him once more in 2022, alongside our associates at Big.”
As for the place he can go within the sport, who is aware of? Not even Van den Ham is bound. “First, I by no means thought I used to be going to be an expert bicycle owner. Then, I by no means thought I used to be going to be a Nationwide Champion. After that, I by no means thought I used to be going to get a high 20 in a World Cup,” he says. “I by no means thought any of these items, however I simply stored working away and—regardless of widespread sense, regardless of every little thing—it stored on occurring.”
Michael van den Hams’ Big Revolt
Body: Big Revolt Professional Superior 0 – Measurement M
Handlebar: Easton EC90 AX – 44cm
Bar Tape: Easton Microfibre Tape
Stem: Easton EA90 SL – 90mm
Seatpost: EA70 AX Dropper Put up
Saddle: Big Strategy SL
Shifters: Shimano GRX RX-815
Entrance Derailleur: Shimano GRX RX-815
Rear Derailleur: Shimano GRX RX-815
Cassette: Shimano 11×34
Cranks: Easton EC90 SL, 172.5mm w/ 47/32 Easton AX Rings
Wheels: Easton EC90 AX
Tires: Problem Gravel Grinder, Getaway, or Strade Bianca
Michael van den Hams’ Spring/Summer time calendar:
March 12 – MidSouth- April 7-10 – Sea Otter
- April 24 – Paris to Ancaster
- April 30 – Belgian Waffle Experience
- Could 14 – Vedder Basic (Marathon XC)
- Could 21 – Rule of three Gravel (tentative)
- June 4 – Misplaced and Discovered
- June 17-19 – Canmore Canada Cup
- June 22-26 – Oregon Trails Gravel Grinder
- July 23 – Canadian XC Nationals
- August 22-25 – Trans Rockies Gravel Royale
Comply with Michael on-line: instagram.com/mvdhcx
