Chad
Haga

One of the more experienced riders in Team DSM colours, 2021 sees Chad take on his eighth year with the team. His 2019 season went down as a memorable one with the well-liked American taking his first ever win with the team at the Giro d’Italia, after a phenomenal performance in the final stage’s time trial.

“Often there is something that just doesn’t go right but on that day everything was perfect. From the mechanics, to nutrition, to my legs and preparation; everything was there and in the end it was good enough for the win. It was a dream day on the bike.”

With the majority of riders on the team younger than him, Chad is excited to take on a bit of a mentorship role, offering his own experiences as a professional and helping to guide them with what all goes on at the biggest races in the world. However, he also hopes to learn some things from them and use their “raw energy and enthusiasm” to push himself even further.

The down-to-earth Chad is grateful for all the places he gets to see and the experiences that he has had through riding his bike, although he admits it isn’t without its challenges.

“There are a lot of hard moments in this career but it is a really cool job. I remember when I was in college and trying to ride, or when I was still working an internship when I started racing properly. All I wanted to do was race my bike full time then and now I get to do that, which is really cool.”

Chad recently became a father so jokingly he concedes that he doesn’t get as much (if any) downtime now after training, but he likes being kept busy and It is that hard working approach which is one of his best qualities.

“I feel that I’ve not yet achieved my potential on the bike, and I’m always improving every year. As long as I feel like there is room to improve then I’ll keep pushing to get there.”

If him and his wife do manage to get a moments peace then you can find them watching something on television or Netflix, or catching up with household chores.