Ben Chaddock
Canada’s criterium champion is expanding his cycling repertoire
Ben Chaddock made a name for himself in Canadian cycling after winning the 2012 national criterium championship title. He is currently racing for the U.S. continental team SmartStop presented by Mountain Khakis at many of the top-level criteriums and stage races in North America.
How long have you been racing bikes? I started racing in 2007 during my first year at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash. I was a ski racer and started riding a road bike for cross-training during the summers. Five years later, I started racing and training only in the sport of cycling.
Do you prefer cycling over skiing? I like both, but I enjoy the training and going out for really long rides. The two or three years of transition from being a skier to a cyclist was great. I really liked being able to go out and train for a long time using a totally different energy system.
Do you compete in other cycling disciplines? I’ve been doing some track during the past three years. I’ve worked with Cycling BC to go to the nationals where I’ve had some success. I’ve had some podiums and top fives. I showed up to the track nationals last year cracked from the road season and that taught me a lesson. Stretching out the season even for one more week is too tough sometimes. Were you surprised Team Exergy, the team that you raced for last year, folded? It is what it is. I enjoyed my time there. I was sad that the family they created has now disbanded. I’m extremely happy with SmartStop presented by Mountain Khakis and that they were able to pick me up with such late notice. That was great. They offered me support, a good schedule and incorporated me into the team.
“I showed up to the track nationals last year cracked from the road season and that taught me a lesson. Stretching out the season even for one more week is too tough sometimes.”
How has your season been going with your new team? It’s been going great. I’ve been spending most of my energy in the races working for Shane Kline and Isaac Howe at the National Criterium Calendar races. Fortunately, we were able to win the Dana Point Grand Prix and alleviate some of the pressure on our shoulders. The Joe Martin Stage Race was a big goal and I prepared well for it, but bad luck disrupted my plans of doing well. I’m now entering into a large block of racing and training and I’m happy with my form and looking for some results.
What races are you targeting during the 2013 season? I want to get a little bit of a different flavour in my career, so I was training during the off-season with the longer road races in mind. I was focused on the Joe Martin Stage Race and the Philadelphia Cycling Classic. I know how to race the criteriums and I’ll be racing them as often as I can. Racing in Canada is a big deal for me. I spend a lot of my time in the U. S. so it was a big goal of mine to come back in June for B.C. Superweek and nationals.
Do you travel south for warm-weather training during the winter months? I live in Whistler, B.C., when I’m home during the off-season but every year I go somewhere different to train in warmer weather. This year, I spent some time in Palo Alto and the San Francisco Bay area in California. I had three months of solid training with a core group of people that included Canadian Eric Wohlberg.