CyclingPub Interview: Chad Haga confident after impressive recovery

Jan 13 2017 10:04 pm CET

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CHAD HAGA

TEAM SUNWEB



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Photos by Mary Cárdenas / CyclingPub.com

"I know I can work hard enough to overcome difficult circumstances."

"The team showed that they can master sprints and now they can shift to the next big challenge."

"I don't talk as much as others so I get to just observe. I let a joke brew and then release it."

Photo of Chad Haga by Mary Cárdenas / CyclingPub.com

For American cyclist Chad Haga, the 2016 season was one to remember for many reasons. A year after the training accident, he's back in Spain and looking confident ahead of the new season.The Sunweb rider, then Giant-Alpecin, was one of six riders to be involved in the accident at the time. Haga suffered the most serious injuries but recovered at an impressive pace, allowing him to ride both the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España in 2016. Being able to do so, gave him added confidence ahead of the new year, he tells us during the interview.We meet with Chad at the end of a long training session in Calpe, Spain.Yeah, not the biggest day but plenty tired. We did a team time trial training, then came back and changed to road bikes and went out to do the intervals.Yes at this point it feels like life is back to normal. It's just a training camp and I go through the rhythm every day.No, we got that out of the way the first couple of days at the last camp. We just got that done and it's been much better since.There are definitely plenty of positive things to take out of it. I know I can work hard enough to overcome difficult circumstances. But I'm glad that the recovery is behind me. It just felt like I was always trying to get back to where I had been and now I'm beyond that. So it's good to be past it.Yes, I needed a lot of help. Riding my bike was about the only thing I could do for a short time and then I was useless the rest of the day.All signs point towards a good year this year. If I could have a bad start last year and still managed all that, as long as things stick to the plan this year it should go very well.I will be starting in Andalusia in February. Then I'll be following Tom [Dumoulin] around for a while. My big focus will be the Giro, supporting him there. That will be my peak period this year, my main focus.For individual results it's likely time trials. A certain type of stage can also work. But I really enjoy time trials. Those have been some of my best results. If I continue improving I think that is where we will see the first results.Yeah we'll see. Going there in a support role there's a chance that I won't get to race the time trials full gas, to save some energy. We'll see when we get there.Yes. Sprints were the most straight forward way to be the best in the world at something and they showed that they can. GC is a much more involved and difficult thing to become dominant at. It takes time and the team showed that they can master sprints and now they can shift to the next big challenge.I'm sad to see John go. I always really enjoyed racing with him. Now he'll be fierce competition this year. But I welcome the new guys like Michael [Matthews] and Wilco. They're fantastic bike racers in their own right and now we work for them, trying to get them the results.I seem to be drawn towards the older guys. I start to feel that way myself now. The guys with kids and wives have more similar lives and circumstances. Those who are pursuing education, they are always fun.In my own case the opportunity was there and I knew that it will be a long time before I can really retire and not work anymore. But I'm only going to be this physically fit now. I think other people who get an education and are presented the same opportunity, they realized the same thing. It's not that cycling attracts people with education. Educated people can also see that it's a fleeting chance.I got her a bike with disc brakes for Christmas. She wanted something with a bit more stopping power. She had a pretty low level road bike and she was really scared on descents because she couldn't stop quickly. I did some shopping and found a good option. She's much happier now.It's a technological advance and as an engineer and a biker I look forward to a chance to race on it. It's not a perfect system but every new technology has to be faced somehow and adapted.The danger is the biggest thing. Mass pile-ups are a very common thing and rotors aren't that big but they still pose a hazard. I think there are some pretty straight forward fixes to protect against that. I've been through enough wet descents that I would really love to tackle one with brakes that work immediately.In my daily life I have a pretty dry humor. I don't talk as much as others so I get to just observe. I let a joke brew and then release it.I'm slowly settling in. While I was waiting for this interview to start I was working on Duolingo trying to brush up on my Spanish a bit. I want to make a more concerted effort with it this year. But it's difficult with all the traveling around. I spend a month in Italy at the Giro and there's not a whole lot of opportunity to practice Spanish there.Usually, the longest I spend at any one location is two weeks. Then it's time to go somewhere else. That holds through the winter also as I have to make the rounds and visit family and friends. I never seem to stay put that long.Yes, it was great to see my mom again before I left for six more months.It's hard on her but she's more and more used to it now.It's good. My wife is enthusiastic. She's coming here this week and we start our Spanish life together. I get a lot of support from family and they're excited to see me do well.