For years, having children was something she and her husband, David, had talked about without quite knowing when, or whether, it would happen.

Cyclocross had always demanded so much of her. Training, racing and chasing results were central to her life, and she wasn’t ready to put that career on hold.

That changed after the 2025-26 cyclocross season.

The big news

In a personal post on her popular Substack, the current Canadian ‘cross champion explained that the season gave her a different perspective on her career. She had enjoyed some of her best domestic racing alongside disappointing World Cup results, but instead of being consumed by the bad days, she found herself increasingly grateful for the years she had spent racing.

After a particularly frustrating CX World Cup in Namur, where she became sick immediately after the race, she realized that the experience of preparing for the race still mattered even when the result didn’t go her way.

“No result can take those moments away,” she wrote.

Reflection post-worlds

That feeling stayed with her after the season ended. She returned home from the world championships and began reflecting on what came next.

“I felt at peace with all of it,” she wrote. “I still loved racing and I still loved training. But the question of kids came more and more often in my mind.”

For the first time, she felt that she could consider starting a family without feeling that she was giving something up.

Looking back, and ahead

But Rochette says that a big ole part of that shift was letting go of the feeling that she still had something to prove through cycling. A multiple national ‘cross champ, multiple big rides at both MTB and ‘cross world cups–she’s had a helluva career. She also wrote a book, FEVER: Stories and Learnings from a Career in Cyclocross. It’s a pretty great read, too, so be sure to check it out. 

“How lucky am I to have spent so many years chasing something I loved with my whole heart?” she wrote.

‘A different kind of February’

And that’s what ultimately led her to tell David that she was ready to have kids. She says he had never pressured her about the decision, and his reaction made it clear that he had been waiting for her to reach that point herself.

Now, the couple is expecting their first child.

She is three months pregnant and says they will welcome a baby boy at the end of February.

The timing means February will look very different from the years she spent preparing for cyclocross worlds.
“For many years I’ve been preparing for the ‘cross worlds in February,” she wrote, “but this year, February will bring a whole different challenge.”

Changing perspectives

Rochette of course admits she already misses parts of competitive cycling. Those routines of being an elite athlete. The structure of training, all that.

But at the same time, stepping away from full-time training has given her a welcome change of perspective.

“This break has been incredibly refreshing, both physically and mentally,” she wrote.

And in classic Rochette style, she’s going to share this new chapter of her life and how it affects her as an athlete. She plans to write about what it means to navigate pregnancy as a professional athlete, including training, racing while pregnant, sponsorships and the changes to her identity that come with stepping away from competition. It will certainly be an interesting story to follow.

For now, she won’t be lining up behind the tape.

But she isn’t leaving cyclocross behind entirely.

She plans to cheer on her friends during the new season, and perhaps even show up at some races or pre-rides with her growing belly.

“I’m excited for it,” she wrote of the challenge ahead.

From everyone at Canadian Cycling Magazine, congrats Maghalie and David. And we can’t wait to drive our flying cars to see the little guy at the ‘cross nationals in 2046.