Adam Hansen was never going to sit still in retirement. The Australian former pro is best known for his record stint of 20 consecutive Grand Tours between 2011 and 2018, and for his loyal service to sprinters Mark Cavendish and André Greipel at the T-Mobile/Columbia/High Road/HTC and Lotto/Belisol/Soudal franchises. But as a gifted polymath with eclectic interests, Hansen has a uniquely energetic mind.
While racing, he built his own ultra-light carbon shoes and pioneered new approaches, using narrower handlebars, adopting a vegan diet and doing cross-country skiing in winter. He has also lectured in computer programming at Queensland’s James Cook University and built his own cycling logistics software. Since retiring he has taken up Ironman, achieving an impressive 15th place at the 2021 World Triathlon Long Distance Championships. But in 2023 Hansen accepted his toughest challenge yet: the thankless, politics-drenched presidency of the Cyclistes Professionnels Associés (CPA) – the largest union of pro cyclists in the world.
‘They asked me to put my hand up and be a candidate to be president, and I thought about it, but I was really enjoying doing triathlons, having time off and having a bit of a quiet life,’ admits Hansen, 42, a Queensland native who since 2004 has lived off-grid in Frýdlant nad Ostravicí in the Czech Republic, where he enjoys skiing, cycling and hiking in the mountains.
‘In my head I was
