Adam Hansen on balancing a very busy life and cycling
The pro road racer manages many work commitments along with racing at the Worldtour level
Adam Hansen is best-known for his record-breaking run of back-to-back Grand Tour rides, (20 in a row, ending with the 2018 Giro d’italia) yet there is so much more to the Lotto-soudal rider.
As well as being one of the most approachable and grounded racers out there, Hansen has always managed to have a full schedule outside of his racing that would impress even the best work/life jugglers out there. As he’s competed in the Worldtour, he has also created a logistics program for his team, as well as web solutions for the riders’ union, Cyclistes Professionnels Associés.
Away from the computer, he’s honed his own performance in ways that don’t always align with the old-school traditions of cycling. His approaches to cycling performance are idiosyncratic — super-narrow bars, extreme saddle positions, homemade shoes and cross-training — and work well for him.
But just how does he manage to balance this programming work with his racing and training? “It’s easy for me,” he says. “Most things I do are on the computer. So while some riders watch Netflix, I program. It gives a good balance. It also makes me enjoy my riding more as I love getting out and having some free headspace. They all complement each other.”
Having a full life outside of cycling is something he sees as a benefit rather than a distraction. “Everyone should have something else in life,” he says. “We have tough times racing. When things get bad through injury or just from poor performances, then it’s nice to have something else that can make your life more positive.”
Many riders, both pro and amateur, have long since believed, puritanically, that outside interests are a distraction that ultimately damage performance. “Some things can distract you, true,” Hansen admits. “But other pursuits can also make you more hungry to ride. I always say that during the off-season, don’t touch your bike. If you train for six weeks without racing, you are almost mentally dead before the season starts.”
Cross-training also keeps things fresh. “If you do cross-training and other forms of training, you are so excited to jump on your bike and get going again. In this way, it’s the same as working or having other projects. You just have to control them.”
Like many around the world, he has been spending a lot of time in his home. His place in the Czech Republic is more like the lab of a mad scientist than the home of a pro bike racer. “In my house, I have a full composites workshop and an office,” he says. “I work with Leomo, a motion tech company. I will be able to release a study that I have done on myself on cleat position and how it affects the foot stability with the gyro x-axis to see if, for some riders, it’s better to change it based on their personal strength.”
Along with this work, he also manages his roughly 50 properties dotted around the globe, clearly demonstrating that how you choose to perceive and manage outside distractions is at the core of allaround success.