Michael van den Ham announces (semi)retirement from racing

For a guy who has announced his retirement, Michael van den Ham is having a great season. At the second USCX weekend in Rochester, NY, the four-time Canadian national champion was fifth and sixth. In both races, either led at one point or was in a position to fight for the podium.

But the Prairie-born racer, now living in Chilliwack, B.C., has announced that this will be his last season of pro cyclocross racing. After a successful career that includes numerous national championships (three elite and one under-23), strong international cyclocross results and an ever-growing list of gravel wins, the Giant-Easton racer will be using his experience to help the next generation as part of Cycling Canada’s coaching program.

We spoke to van den Ham on Friday as he was walking the Rochester course. Ever the humble Canadian, he tried to steer the conversation towards the next generation of riders several times. That community focus is something that’s been consistently present when we’ve talked to van den Ham in the past. It will serve him well in the next phase of his career, too.

But before we let him fully shift gears, we wanted to dig back into the career of a four-time Canadian national champion. We find out what his favourite memories are and talk about the one goal he’d still like to accomplish this fall. Oh, and why he’ll race gravel but thinks ‘cross is still the future.

Canadian Cycling Magazine: First off, is this a retirement? A semi-retirement?

Michael van den Ham: I’d say definitely semi-retirement. I’m still going to continue racing. I’ll still do a full gravel season next year, and a little mountain biking like last year. But retirement from the pro ‘cross scene.

What brought about that change? When did you make this decision?

Good question. I think probably this decision is a few years in the making. Ever since I started racing I always told myself – and told my wife – that I didn’t want to try to hold on for too long. I wanted to go out while I was still racing fast and feeling good about my performance. I also said when I stop getting better, that’s probably the time when I’m ready to focus on something else.

Over the last year and a half, I started getting that feeling. Even before this season, I sort of knew that last year was the last time I was going to go over to Europe. It’s been such an experience for me to be able to keep going back over there but I think I know what I am when it comes to those types of races. And maybe this dovetails into the next part of what I’m doing, but I also see all these younger Canadians coming up. I’ve been there and done that so many times and I can lend some assistance to hopefully get to a higher level, maybe, than I was ever able to achieve.

We’ll get to the coaching part in a second because that’s really interesting. But for your own riding, you mentioned in your announcement that you accomplished more than you ever expected when you started. Do you still remember where you were and what your goals were originally when you first decided to make a go of cyclocross?

For sure. I started racing cross when I was maybe 20. Every time I think about my path to being a bike racer I realize how improbable it was. I grew up in a Prairie community, in Brandon, Manitoba. My parents are farmers. There wasn’t really a huge cycling culture in Brandon. All these different pieces dropped in place enable for me to race cyclocross at all, let alone at the national level, at the international level or winning national championships. So when I started racing my objectives were not very lofty, to be honest. It was “Maybe I can make it to the elite category.” Then I made that and it turned to “Maybe I can win one of these races one day.” And I won a few of those races. It was just this sort of incremental progression.

I don’t think that when I was 15 or 16 I would have ever thought a career as a bike racer was possible. But even when I started racing, I don’t think I had ambitions of being a national champion or traveling around the U.S. and Europe for these races. It just wasn’t something that I was aware of or thought was possible.

When you’re making the decision to stop, then, was it hard to bring yourself back to that perspective, where you started and be happy with how much you’ve accomplished since then?

Yes and no. As an athlete, there’s always stuff you think you can improve upon. There are little things you can do better to go faster. But I think, in the end, I’m just grateful I got to have this opportunity. And, to be honest, I’m grateful that there was this opportunity to still be a part of this sport in the future in a way that I’m still excited about.

But was the decision hard? Sure. You do one thing in the fall for 10 years in a row and it becomes part of your habit. But, at the same time, I’m excited to do something else. I’m excited to challenge myself in a different way and to go to the same races with a different approach. And to go to different gravel races and see different parts of the world. That’s a huge part of why I got into cycling in the first place, just being out and seeing all these new places and meeting really cool people.

Are there any races or accomplishments that stand out from over the years?

The first time I won nationals as an elite, that day will stick with me for a long time. I had sort of fallen on my face a couple of years before where I’d maybe gone in as one of the favorites and just couldn’t deliver. The pressure got to me and that was really hard. I’d left those races disappointed and discouraged, wondering if I’d ever get the chance to actually win.

There was something about the year I won. Maybe I’d had enough cracks at it that I wasn’t nervous or maybe it was just the right day. But it felt like everything just fell into place and I got into what you’d call a flow state. I vividly remember moments in that race where everything was moving in slow motion. I was thinking “OK, I’m going to attack here, I’m going to ride up this run-up and that’s going to be the race. I’m going to hold them off.” You don’t get very many opportunities as an athlete to excuse yourself from this constant messaging of self-doubt, the “Is this going to work?” thoughts. When you do, it’s a cool experience. You’re almost outside of yourself while racing your bike.

Second would be when I had a really good World Cup in Dendermonde in the middle of the pandemic year. I ended up 17th, which is still my best European World Cup to date. Again, it was one of those races where I’d been struggling during that race block. It was only my third or so race that season. The course just worked out. I wasn’t even aware of what position I was in that race until someone shouted at me that I was in 20th. Racing and catching up to Pidcock, even if he was having a bad day, and being in amongst all these other European pros was really cool. I don’t think I was aware that I could race at that level. Sometimes you just have to put yourself out there enough times that you figure it out.

As far as favorite races, every year going to the night races in Diegem. I don’t think there’s one year that sticks out but it’s just an awesome race.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Michael van den Ham (@mvdhcx)

While you accomplished more than you thought you could when you started, athletes tend to look forward at the next step and adjust expectations as they get close to their goals. Is there anything you feel like you left on the table that you wanted to achieve?

For sure. I think it’s important to reflect on where I was when I started and I never would have dreamed of winning nationals. So in some ways, I can leave being happy that I did that a few times. But I have been on the podium at PanAm’s a couple of times – and getting second in the sprint was another bittersweet experience, but a pretty awesome experience looking back at it – but I would have loved to win Pan Ams. I have one more crack at it in Missoula this year and I’d be lying if my dream scenario for this season wasn’t to go out as the winner of Pan Am’s for my last pro ‘cross race. That’d be unbelievable.

I’d have loved to pull out a top-20 at world championships. I’ve ridden inside the top 20, but never quite finished there. But ultimately, I’m really happy and proud of what I’ve been able do in ‘cross. It unfolded so much better than I ever would have expected.

You’re moving into a coaching position with Cycling Canada. Does that start right after nationals?

It actually starts at nationals. This is almost the toughest part of taking the job: I’m not racing nationals. I would love to go back and try win one more time. But the way it works, I’m starting the Cycling Canada job there. It was cool to race nationals last year and see a really deserving winner in Tyler Clark come away with that title.

Nationals is still a few months away and you’ll be racing against a bunch of those guys between now and then. Will it be weird racing against people you’re about to coach? Are you already assessing them for what you’re going to say as a coach, or are you leaving that to the future?

Ha ha, I feel like us Canadians tend to stick together and want to help each other. So I’ve already been the elder statesman in cyclocross for the last five years or so at this point. Last year at worlds I was probably the oldest one on the project by 10 years or so. So I feel like I’m already generally keeping an eye out and trying to help fellow Canadians when I can. It doesn’t matter if they’re my competitors or not. I want to see us as a country be more successful. Sure, you want to beat out there when you’re racing but I don’t have any ambitions of being the best Canadian or something. I just want as many Canadians to do well as possible.

So there are no cards you’re holding for the next two months before you step into the coaching role?

No, no, definitely not. If Tyler’s racing this weekend and he can win and I’m second, in some crazy dream scenario, I’m not going to be upset about that.

Is there anything that you’re looking forward to about being on the other side of the tape?

I haven’t experienced many races in Belgium when I’m not racing them and it’s a pretty cool scene. I’m also excited about being able to help people without that lingering pressure in the back of your mind that you have to go do your own race really soon. It’s pretty special to be at the races, to be out riding the course with people and know that you don’t really have a dog in the fight. You’re not worried about your own performance. All you’re trying to do is help elevate other people.

For yourself, you’re not done racing. You’re still going to be racing gravel and mountain bikes. What’s the plan for that going into next year?

I didn’t really feel like I was done racing, per se but, as you get older it’s natural to deviate towards the events that are a little more long-distance and a little less punchy. I’m excited about the prospect of going places I haven’t been before, doing races I haven’t done before. This year, for example, I got to race in Ketchum, Idaho and Downieville, California. Both were awesome locations that I had never seen. So gravel racing is still going to fulfill that desire to train and to be the best I can be at something. But taking a step back from cross means I can focus on some other things, too. I have a young family, a six-month-old, and traveling for four months of the year is more challenging.

So why do you want to focus on coaching in cyclocross, over gravel and mountain bike?

I think gravel is kind of the big thing right now, but ‘cross is a well-established World Cup discipline that has a really clear path for guiding young athletes to either success in cyclocross or success in other disciplines. We’ve seen that countless times. It’s such a great sport as an end in itself but it’s also really good for development. You can even just look at Canadians. Like the Holmgrens, who are ‘cross racers but also really good mountain bikers. Maggie Coles-Lyster went to cross worlds when she was younger. Stephan Ritter, who is now retired, was a world champion track racer who went to cross worlds when he was younger.

Cyclocross is this tremendously good pathway to being a good cyclist, period. It is non-discipline specific in a way I don’t think gravel is. Gravel is awesome for amateurs and people who want to go explore a new place. But I don’t think it’s going to do a lot for people who want to be a better mountain biker or road racer or anything else. It’s a different end of the spectrum in a lot of ways.

Any final words?

I’m really looking forward to taking this next step. I feel really fortunate in a lot of ways that I’ve been able to call my own shot. A lot of racers don’t get that opportunity. They’re forced into stopping the sport they really like because of injury or not being able to find support or whatever other reason. I’ve seen people go through that and have a hard time with it. So I’m thankful I’ve been able to decide for myself when I want to stop and still be able to stay involved in the sport and use my experience to help a generation that I think is going to be way more successful than I ever was.