Human Powered Health

Bart Lemmen

Paul Double

Stanislaw Aniolkowski

Pier-André Côté

Charles-Etienne Chrétien

Scott McGill

Alan Banaszek

Ben Perry

Sasha Weemaes

Adam De Vos

Sebastian Schönberger

Colin Joyce

Barnabas Peak

Embret Svestad-Bårdseng

Gijs Van Hoecke

August Jensen

Kristian Aasvold

Stephen Bassett

Matthew Gibson

Chad Haga

Gage Hecht

Cory Greenberg

Wessel Krul

Racing

Interviews

‘I belong in this space’ - Retiring Chad Haga storms onto the European gravel scene

Chad Haga will officially retire from road racing at the end of 2023

In gravel cycling, where the lines between ‘influencer’ and ‘racer’ can be somewhat blurred, the economy of the gravel riders is built on attention.

For some, that attention is built on wins. For others, that attention can be built through Instagram or YouTube. With the sport living on social media and post-hoc reporting, it is only natural that this would be the case. Noise is needed to garner the influence needed to be a fully-fledged professional.

 has provided with his first foray into gravel on the weekend.

 who is set to retire from road racing this year, set the record for the 

 with a blistering mark of 12:51:58 for the 360-mile race course in Spain. More impressively, he beat the record solo, compared to the race which has a large peloton and drafting throughout.

“I DID IT! I rode the Traka 360 course solo faster than the race record time of 12:55:42, finishing in 12:51:58,” Haga wrote in an 

, before laying out his hopes for his future gravel career.

“That's the kind of noise I wanted to make to prove that I belong in this space and deserve support. If you see value in being at the front of gravel races and would like to talk sponsorship, let's talk! So far, I've confirmed frames, wheels, tires, and bottle cages. The rest is up for grabs.”

Taking a Euro-centric approach to gravel racing

Haga is trying to do what a number of former WorldTour riders have done before him by pivoting to the gravel scene after they have had their fill of the road. Yet, as is evident by his solo Traka effort, Haga is doing it differently.

“Let me first clear up some common confusion, or I guess it's a fair assumption, but my family and I really love Girona and we are not ready to leave so I will be primarily racing European gravel racing next year, a mix of UCI events and the Gravel Earth Series,” Haga told 

“The kids are the deciding factor. We have got two daughters now and the oldest is already in school and they both love it and it's great for us, everything is affordable, life is easier with everything close by. We kind of got immersed in the local community and we are just enjoying life right now.”

Even if he is staying in Europe to enjoy the good life that Girona has to offer, Haga is building on what he has done thus far in a road career that included a long, successful stint as one of Tom Dumoulin’s loyal domestiques, which was most notably rewarded with a stunning win at the final TT in the 2019 Giro. His attempt at the Traka was not just some goal to wrap up the season, it was an announcement that the American is in gravel to race and race hard.

With Haga taking this Euro-centric approach, the Traka will certainly be one of his focuses in early May, as the race around his home turf has quickly become one of the biggest gravel races on the continent.

Furthermore, the Gravel Earth Series is continuing to gain steam with events like the Rift and the Migration Race generating more buzz every year. Those races, paired with the ever-growing UCI race calendar, leave scant few opportunities for Haga to return home to the heartland of gravel.

Nonetheless, some races in the US are still too big to miss for gravel privateers the world round.

“The schedule is pretty full, especially working around my wife’s schedule and the kids’ school, but the ones I have circled that I want to hit are Unbound, which is kinda obligatory, and I think I can fit in Gravel Locos before that, which works  well with a visit to family in Texas. Then, at the end of the season, I think I can make it over one more time for Big Sugar. I need to focus only on the biggest ones if it's only going to be a couple of trips.”

The privateer life of a life-long team player

At 35, Haga is no spring chicken at this point in his cycling career. With many of the more well-known riders in their mid to late 30s hanging up their wheels, Haga would be more than forgiven if he chose to ride off into the sunset of retirement, with a long career at the top of the sport to show for his commitment.

Haga, however, sees gravel racing as the perfect opportunity to learn new tricks and live a cycling life different from the one that has brought him to all three Grand Tours and five Monuments.

“For sure it’s a different mindset being a domestique compared to being the one going for the result and really pushing at the end of the race,” he said. “So that is definitely a switch that is going to be practised more, but if it's a race that I am motivated for, that is an easier switch to make.”

While the new challenges of winning gravel races, largely solo affairs, instead of being a cog in a larger team structure might be something appealing, that pesky attention economy that the privateer lifestyle revolves around is less exciting for the family man with a longer laundry list than ever before.

“That has been the biggest challenge for me, because previously on the road they send an email saying, ‘here are your sponsors next year, here is the product, here is the training plan’ and all you’ve got to do is focus on being the best racer possible. In gravel you have to manage all of it, and that's on top of family life and everything else, so that's a juggling act that is going to take some getting used to.”

While Haga is diving head first into the new challenge of gravel racing, his prospects on the road were all but extinguished with the incoming closure of his Human Powered Health team at the end of this season. The news of the end of the team, which has operated in the domestic professional peloton since 2007, was by all accounts a surprise to the riders and left many scrambling.

Haga, with his long credentials, was able to land on his feet, yet even for him, seeing the team go was a hard pill to take, both on a personal level and from the big picture perspective of American cycling.

“Personally what I will miss most is the staff and the riders. It was a very different feel to DSM where the staff was just helping the riders and existing independently from one another,” Haga said. “A family sounds cliché, but it was a very tight group and everyone was friends. A great team environment I will miss.

“For the bigger picture, as it relates to American cycling specifically, this program has acted as a bridge for so many riders to get into the European peloton and now that bridge is gone.

“There is not much racing in America to show yourself against Europeans and now there's not really that mid tier American team to help get you through to Europe and prove yourself over it. So it’s made that pathway just a bit more difficult for young Americans to get over here and succeed.”

Though it may be harder now - and it certainly wasn’t easy when Haga made his career in Europe, either - the American undoubtedly made a success of his time racing in the continental peloton. And whilst it won’t quite be the same in 2024, the European racing life isn’t something he’s giving up just yet.

News

Round-ups

News Round-ups

News Round-up: Reports from Norway suggest Tobias Foss to Ineos Grenadiers is a done deal

Tobias Foss looks set to be teammates with Geraint Thomas and co. in 2024

Norwegian media report that Tobias Foss has finally signed for Ineos Grenadiers

 saga has rumbled on throughout what has seemed like the entire 2023 campaign, with the 

 man long since linked with the British team. The deal was on, the deal was off... the deal now looks, back on? 

Ineos Grenadiers ice transfer deals as speculation over Evenepoel and mergers persist

 that Tobias Foss has signed for Ineos Grenadiers for the 2024 season and beyond, news which was also picked up by 

 has not yet been able to verify the report with the rider or his agent, it must be noted. 

The saga was analysed by the editorial team on 

, with Foss stuck in a similar position to Carlos Verona (Movistar), who was equally let down by Ineos Grenadiers in July before eventually signing for Lidl-Trek. For the Norwegian, it appears his patience with the British outfit has finally paid off. 

Carlos Verona heads to Lidl-Trek after Ineos Grenadiers ice deal

Should the move come about, Foss will do well to escape the looming Visma-Soudal merger that would only serve to further reduce his opportunities on the Jumbo-Visma squad. That being said, both he and the team are content to part ways after a four-year relationship, the height of which came when Foss won the World Championships Time Trial in 2022. 

The Norwegian, however, was not been able to pick up a victory since and will be hoping to revitalise his career with a fresh start. 

Sasha Weemaes sprints to first professional victory at the Tour of Langkawi

sasha cool guy.jpg

Following a series of impressive performances throughout the first six days, Human Powered Health's Sasha Weemaes was finally rewarded with his first professional win on stage 7 of the Tour de Langkawi. The Belgian sprinted to victory ahead of Arvid de Kleijn (Tudor Pro Cycling) and Gleb Syritsa (Astana Qazaqstan), who finished second and third respectively. 

Before today, he had racked up three podium finishes without a win at the Tour de Langkawi, but it all fell right for Human Powered Health on Friday. Weemaes benefitted not only from the slightly uphill finish that suited his explosivity, but also the important work of his teammates Adam de Vos, Gijs Van Hecke and Benjamin Perry, who all positioned him well heading into the final 500m. 

"I knew there was an uphill finish, so I needed to come from out of the wheels after taking the slipstream. The perfect timing was important,” Weemaes noted the finish. “I was able to come with more speed at the right moment.

"It was amazing! Like the feeling that a rock has fallen off of my shoulders. Finally that victory.”

Meanwhile, stage 5 winner Simon Carr (EF Education-EasyPost) retained his handy advantage in the lead of the race and should seal the overall title on tomorrow's final stage, which looks likely to fall to the sprinters once again. 

Matej Mohorič wins ahead of Magnus Sheffield on stage 4 of the CRO Race

On a steep uphill finish to the line in Labin, it was Bahrain Victorious' Matej Mohorič who held off the surging Magnus Sheffield (Ineos Grenadiers), to upset the Ineos Grenadiers and Jayco AlUla teams who had put plenty of work into the day's efforts. 

Seeking to set their leader Eddie Dunbar up for the uphill run to the line, Jayco AlUla controlled the peloton for much of the afternoon, but ultimately saw their Irishman too far down the pack as the peloton approached the final few hundred metres. In their place, Ineos Grenadiers had swamped to the front and appeared to have Ethan Hayter best positioned. 

However, the 25-year-old had no answer to Mohorič's sprint, who powered forward with a surge that only the American Sheffield appeared capable of matching. For the youngster, though, it was not to be, as Mohorič continued his fine 2023 campaign to pick up his sixth victory of the year. 

There was to be a consolation prize for Sheffield, whose ride now sees him move into the lead of the race heading into the final two stages. Caja Rural-Seguros RGA's Orluis Aular sits just behind him a second back, whilst Jayco AlUla's Dunbar has shot up to ninth place, with an eight-second deficit. 

Amazon slated to sponsor Jumbo-Visma to the tune of $15 million

 on Thursday evening, the superteam born out of the likely Jumbo-Visma and Soudal Quick-Step merger has already secured the backing of two high-profile sponsors, American e-commerce hegemon Amazon and Quick-Step's current bike manufacturer, Specialized.

Dutch marketeer Chris Woerts revealed the likely sponsorship of the new-look team on the television programme Vandaag Inside. He noted that the investment from Amazon would be roughly $15 million per year, which would go some way to filling the hole left by Dutch supermarket Jumbo's impending departure from title sponsorship.

 on Thursday that a Jumbo-Visma executive had met with Specialized at the beginning of this week in Breda, a sign that the American company looks likely to provide the bikes for what might be a Visma-Soudal team in 2024.

Visma-Soudal merger to be backed by e-commerce giant Amazon

Soudal Quick-Step plans to bring together all staff and riders for a team meeting 

Soudal QS.jpg

Since Patrick Lefevere sent an internal – 

 – memo to the Soudal Quick-Step riders and staff, the management at the top of the team has been virtually silent on the future of the squad.

 has learned from a rival boss that several agents representing Soudal Quick-Step riders have been in contact looking for a ride.

On October 9, Soudal Quick-Step plan to gather all of their contracted riders and staff for a team meeting in Antwerp at the Soudal headquarters. It’s unlikely that the true nature of the deal/merger/takeover will be kept under such a guarded stance by then, but flights have been booked, and within the Soudal Quick-Step camp it's business as usual as far as some staffers are concerned.

"I know as much as you, you might know more. So I don’t know. It’s a question mark I guess," sports director Geert van Bondt told 

"There has been no communication since the letter and Patrick has just asked us to have faith in him. We just have to wait and that’s all I can say right now. I have faith in Patrick. He always said to me that the team was everything to him and that’s also what he said in the email. It’s 80 people and I think that’s his priority, to see that everyone is fine and that next year they all have a job, I think."

'We have faith in Patrick Lefevere' says Soudal Quick-Step sports director

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot ruled out of European Gravel Championships with Covid

Ineos Grenadiers’ off-road star Pauline Ferrand-Prévot’s chances of defending her gravel world title look to be fading away with the Frenchwoman contracting Covid just eight days before the event.

Ferrand-Prévot, who is also the mountain biking cross-country Olympic and short track world champion, confirmed on Instagram on Friday morning that she had tested positive, forcing her out of this weekend’s European Gravel Championships, and making a start at Worlds unlikely.

With the European and World Gravel Championships clashing with the final two rounds of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series in North America, Ferrand-Prévot had opted to race gravel instead of mountain bike in the final weeks of the season and attempt to defend her rainbow jersey in Veneto.

Ferrand-Prévot’s Ineos Grenadiers off-road counterpart Tom Pidcock opted to see out the mountain bike season and is in action this weekend at the Snowshoe World Cup.

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Riding through pain: Signs that your riding position needs changing

American mountain biking goes home: Blevins and Blunk talk Snowshoe, seasons and Olympics

From an octopus’ garden in the shade, it is time to bid adieu. Until the next time.

Race News

Human Powered Health men’s team set to fold

Human Powered Health in action earlier this year

 men’s team will close at the end of the season due to a lack of confirmed sponsorship for 2024.

“The team will stop. That’s the extent of what we know, and it sounds like the usual struggle with finding sponsors,” a source very close to the situation told 

Riders and staff were notified of the news during a Monday morning Zoom call. Although the team is set to close, the management is still attempting to salvage the situation, even if their chances appear incredibly challenging. 

“There is a possibility, it sounds like, of some sort of rescue. I know that the management is working super hard, and they’ve historically done a super job. So it’s not all hope lost but they wanted to treat everyone with respect and give everyone enough time for those looking for rides and work next week.”

The American team races at UCI ProTeam level and has been a mainstay on the US domestic and European racing scenes for several years, dating back to the mid-2000s. 

Sepp Kuss, Danny Pate and Brandon McNulty have all raced for the team over the years, with the team racing under a variety of different headline sponsorship during that time. Human Powered Health became title sponsors in 2022.

 attempted to contact the management at the team but did not receive an initial response.

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Name	Age	UCI Career Wins	UCI Points
Bart Lemmen	28	1	532
Paul Double	27	1	338
Stanislaw Aniolkowski	27	16	276
Pier-André Côté	27	8	187
Charles-Etienne Chrétien	24	0	164

Human Powered Health

Human Powered Health

The Team

Top Human Powered Health Stories

‘I belong in this space’ - Retiring Chad Haga storms onto the European gravel scene

News Round-up: Reports from Norway suggest Tobias Foss to Ineos Grenadiers is a done deal

Human Powered Health men’s team set to fold

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