Adrian Hedderman has been working with some of the best female riders in the world the past number of seasons and in his new role will travel to races with the men's and women's UnitedHealthcare squads.
By Gerard Cromwell
Having extended the contract of world scratch race champion Martyn Irvine for another year this season, the UnitedHealthcare squad has doubled its Irish contingent with news that Adrian Hedderman will work as a mechanic with the team in 2014.
A well known former rider on the Irish domestic scene, Limerick man Hedderman is a veteran of 16 Rás Tailteanns. He also won the Des Hanlon Memorial classic in 2003, beating former Giant Asia pro Paul Griffin to the line with a last kilometre attack.
A trip to the world championships in 2007 saw Hedderman introduced to American rider Rachel Heal by friend and former Irish women’s national champion Julie O’Hagan.
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The now engaged couple hit it off, prompting Hedderman to spend the next few summers travelling stateside to watch her race.
A couple of years later, it was at one of those races where Hedderman, a qualified plumber, got his first taste of working for a pro team.
“Rachel was riding with Colavita one day and the mechanic was in a last minute rush to get the bikes ready and asked me to give him a hand,” he says.
“As a kid, growing up, I never sent my bike to a bike shop. I always did my repairs myself and over the years I got to know more and more about the bikes.
“I gave him a hand and the director at the time asked me if I was available to help at another race. She paid for my flights and even though I wasn’t able to get paid I was flying around with the team and getting to see all the races and learned more about the bikes again.
“At the end of the year I got a work visa for 2010 and spent two years with Colavita as mechanic and even did a bit of directing for them in 2011. In 2012 I went to Optum and in 2013 I was working with Exergy.”
Hedderman and Heal recently got engaged and now live in Ashville, North Carolina, close to the home of the UnitedHealthcare team’s general manager Mike Tamayo. This year Heal will be directeur sportif of UnitedHealthcare’s first ever women’s squad, so the duo will be working together again.
“I know Mike since around 2009, just from being at races and stuff and down through the years,” says Hedderman.
“In 2011 I gave him a hand at their training camp and this year I did some part time work for them at the Tour of Alberta and Elk Grove. Everything went well and Mike asked me if I was available for this year, told me there was a position there for me and I jumped at it.
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“It’s a great opportunity for me. UnitedHealthcare is a big set-up. They have a lot of staff and it’s very well organised.”
Although he has only worked with women’s teams thus far, Hedderman will get a chance to work with both this season.
“This is the first year UnitedHeathcare have a women’s team,” he says.
“I’ve worked with women for the last four years but will probably be with both teams this year. I was with the men at the training camp in December and have another one this month for all the guys doing the Tour of Qatar.
“Then, I head straight to the Sun Tour with the men and come back for a few weeks and head to El Salvador with the women. After that, I think it’s Tour of the Gila with the women but everything could change if the lads get an invite to the Giro. That will change things up a bit.”
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Hedderman admits working on the Giro in Ireland would be a dream come true if the US squad manage to secure one of the highly sought after wildcards.
“I said straight away ‘if we get to the Giro with the men, I’m coming to Ireland’,” he says.
“May is pretty busy for us with the Giro, the Tour of California, and the women’s racing as well so we will need a lot of staff. But hopefully I’ll get the nod to do the Giro if we get an invite. It will be something special to work on a big race like that at home.”
Due to turn 40 years old this year, Hedderman still gets out on his bike and hints that he may even return to ride the veterans’ national championships this year.
“In Ashville, where we are on the Blue Ridge, it’s great for training. There’s only one flat road around us and in between the races I get a lot of time to train.
“Johnny Clarke, an Australian guy, is based there too and normally I get to go training with him, which is great. Some fellas complain about the long days and the travelling involved with being a mechanic on a pro team but, to be honest, I love the sport so much it doesn’t feel like it’s a job to me.”
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