An Aggie has been cycling through the most famous cycling race in France this past month.
Chad Haga, Class of 2010, has been competing in this year’s Tour de France, one of cycling’s three Grand Tours, which covers nearly 2,100 miles across France.
“When I first started dreaming of one day racing professionally, it was the Tour de France that I imagined myself racing,” Haga wrote in a blog for Cyclingnews.com prior to competing in the race.
After 15 stages, Haga is currently 72nd out of 150 racers. He is one of 23 racers competing for Team Sunweb and has competed in both the general and points classification. His best finish thus far was 34th in Stage 4.
There are six stages left as the race will conclude on July 29 in Paris.
Haga, who graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering, joined the A&M cycling team as a freshman in 2006 and eventually became the team’s president.
After Stage 5, Haga wrote in his blog that the race was everything he had hoped for and feared it would be.
“The roads are lined with fans from start to finish so much so that it can be difficult to find a place for a nature break without an audience, actually,” Haga wrote. “Their enthusiasm to see us fly by after hours of anticipation is shocking — and loud.
“It makes me feel like I truly am racing in the greatest race in the sport.”
Haga’s journey can be followed through his blog at cyclingnews.com.