On the US pro scene with Adrian Hedderman: “I’ve worked with some of the world’s best”

Redlands Classic 2011: Pushing Catherine Cheatley (Colavita Forno D'Asolo) back into action after a mechanical in California

A strong and popular rider in the Irish peloton for many seasons, Adrian Hedderman from Limerick has in recent years carved out an interesting career for himself in the US. He’s been head mechanic with some of the biggest women’s teams on the US pro circuit. He’s on the move in 2013 and will work with the team of double Olympic gold medallist Kristin Armstrong. He talks to stickybottle about his life in the pro bike game Stateside.

Q. Asheville, North Carolina, is a long way from your native Limerick, tell us about how you ended up over there.
A. It started back in 2009, my girlfriend Rachel Heal was riding with the Colavita Sutter Home Pro Cycling team in the US and I took the opportunity to go over to the US for a few weeks to do some racing. The team needed a second mechanic at one of the races, so I offered to help them out. One thing led to another and I ended up travelling with them for most of the season. By the end of the season I was offered a full time job and signed on as head mechanic for the Colavita Baci Pro Cycling Team.

Q. What does a typical day look like for you?
A. Well, race days are very different to travel days or time between races, but on a typical race day, I'm up well before any of the riders to get the bikes and vehicles race-ready. I've usually already washed the bikes the night before, so I just give them a quick check over, and pump up the tyres and then load the race bikes onto the team van, and the spare bikes onto the team car. And then I prepare the team car for the race with spare wheels and my tool kit. When we get to the race start the bikes are unloaded and I make any last minute adjustments to them.

Q. And what about when the racing gets underway?
A. During the race itself, the quieter the better. If I don't have to get out of the car once, it means the team has had no flat tyres, mechanicals or crashes. As well as being ready to jump out of the car with spare wheels, it’s my job during the race to keep track of rider numbers given over race radio, so we can figure out the composition of any breakaway. And I always start the race with pen and paper as well as a current results sheet from the previous day’s stage. Once the race is finished, that's when the bulk of my work really starts. Each bike is degreased, washed, given a full check over, and oiled. The team car and van are washed and filled ready for the next day.

Q. How much time do you spend on the road?
A. In 2012 between race days, training camps and travel I spent over 150 days on the road, all of that between training camp in California in February and the last race in Boston in September. During the year we raced in 15 different states, but with all the driving I do between the races, there are only two states that I haven't been to; Maine and South Dakota.

Q. The teams you've worked for have had quite a success rate, maybe give us a flavour of that.
A. Yes, each of the three teams I've worked with - Colavita Baci, Colavita Forno d'Asolo and Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies - have won both the individual and the team standings in the season-long US National Race Calendar. And in 2011 I got to work with World Champion Giorgia Bronzini who was riding for the Italian side of our team when she won the two biggest one day UCI races in North America; the Liberty Classic in Philadelphia and the GP Gatineau in Canada.

Q. You’re moving to a new team for next season; tell us a bit about that.
A. Yeah, it was called Team ExergyTwenty12 in the season just gone, the team of double Olympic gold medallist Kristin Armstrong and will be renamed as Team ExergyTwenty16 for the coming season. We’ll be focused on developing riders for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. When the team owner Nicole Cranmer approached me at the end of the 2012 season and offered me the role as their head mechanic for 2013 I jumped at the opportunity. Armstrong is one of the most respected and professional riders on the circuit and although she retired after the London Olympics, she’s co-owner of the team and is very heavily involved. The team is made up of both experienced riders such as Olympic silver medallist Lauren Tamayo, and new and emerging talent, and I'm looking forward to the new challenge.

Q. Have you raced much yourself in the US and given your schedule do you find much time for the bike now?
A. Over the past few years I’m finding it increasingly hard to race myself because the pro women’s race schedule is expanding. There have been a few occasions as the girls finish I’m quickly changing into kit and ready to jump into the pro 1.2 race. When I look back, it’s a bit crazy; when you’ve 150 plus riders on the line and I’ve to line up at the back with an hour standing in the pits as my warm up, it can be tough.

For the last few years I‘ve come back to Ireland to ride the An Post Rás. Unfortunately last season I wasn’t able to make it because it clashed with Exergy Tour, which as the last Olympic qualifying race was one of the biggest races on the UCI calendar. It felt strange not coming back for the Rás. But I’ve done 16 Rás’s so I can look back on a pretty good history with the race. I’ve been lucky enough over the years when racing back home that there were great clubs out there and I got to ride with some excellent riders.