Michael van den Ham vexed by parcel delivery service losing bike

Canadian cyclocross champion Michael van den Ham will be short a custom bike this weekend at the Resolution race in Garland, Texas and Ruts and Guts race in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The Garneau-Easton racer is vexed that U.P.S. has lost one of his rides.

Well, congratulations @UPS. It looks like you managed to lose one of my $5000 custom Garneau race bikes. Filed a claim early this week, heard nothing back, and leaving for Europe to race on the 17th. Do I get it back? I'll admit I'm skeptical. pic.twitter.com/XmzodWOLUH

— Michael van den Ham (@MVDHcyclocross) December 7, 2018

Van den Ham told Canadian Cycling Magazine, “I got my bikes serviced at the Dundas Speed shop after nationals and then shipped directly to the team base in Stillwater. Long story short, the one never showed up and the last tracking info is that it was ‘picked up’ in Hamilton.”

Van den Ham says that he will have a team spare a size too big in Oklahoma and is worried that he won’t receive the missing machine in time for heading over to Europe on December 17. Assuaging his fears, he adds, is that “Garneau, Easton, and Robert Axle project have all stepped up in a huge way to make sure that I have two bikes ready for the trip.”

U.P.S. responded to van den Ham’s disgrunted Tweet with “I understand your frustration. We would be happy to look into this issue for you. Please DM us the tracking number and details using the following link.”

In the latter half of December van den Ham will take on the next two rounds of the World Cup in Namur and Zolder, Belgium, along with a rounds of the DVV Trofee (Loenhout, Belgium) and the Superprestige (Diegem, Belgium). In late January, he’ll return to Europe for the Hoogerheide World Cup in the Netherlands, the World Championships in Bogense, Denmark, “and (maybe, unconfirmed) races in Maldegem, Lille, and Hoogstraten.”