Michael Van Den Ham – 2013 U23 Cyclo-cross Champ!

Manitoba took two titles at this past weekend’s Canadian Cyclocross Championships in Surrey BC.

The Junior men’s race was between Manitoba and Alberta, with Willem Boersma (Cycle-Smart) going up against the Team Alberta/Juventus duo of Mason Burtnik and Sean Germaine.  The Alberta riders charged to the lead on the first lap, but Boersma was right with them, just biding his time, and on lap two he broke clear.  From that point, all Burtnik and Germaine could hope for was a mistake, which didn’t happen as the Manitoba rider steadily rode away to win the title by over a minute.  Burtnik won the battle for silver by nine seconds over his team mate.

In the Under 23 men’s competition, Michael van den Ham (Cycle-Smart) was clearly the dominant rider in the field, particularly given the absence of Evan McNeely.  The Manitoba native rode with Marc Nadon (Scott-3Rox) in the early laps, as the pair rode away from Connor Wilson (Team Alberta/Juventus), and then opened a gap on the third lap as he began reeling in riders in the Elite category that started two minutes ahead of him.  van den Ham, who has spent the season racing in the competitive New England scene steadily increased his lead over the rest of the 50 minute race (which was actually a little short at 45:07) to win by over two minutes.

Details Here:

http://www.canadiancyclist.com/dailynews.php?id=26865&title=cyclo-cross-nationals-race-report