Record holder talks 10-straight Grand Tours and 3500km training rides
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Lotto's Adam Hansen will target stage wins at the Tour Down Under(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Adam Hansen (Lotto Soudal)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Adam Hansen (Lotto Belisol)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Adam Hansen (Lotto Belisol) wins stage 19 of the Vuelta a España(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Adam Hansen (Lotto Belisol) collapsed after winning stage 19 of the Vuelta a España(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Lotto-Soudal rider Adam Hansen's start in the Giro d'Italia this week puts him on track to extend his record of 10-straight Grand Tour finishes, but what makes this Australian so good at racing three-week tours?
InCycle profiles Hansen, who as a teenager rode 3500km across Australia from Brisbane to Cairns in a move which would presage his career full of 'epic' rides.
His love of long days in the saddle has continued through his professional career, and he has 17 Grand Tour starts and 14 completed in his decade-long pro career.
"It feels like a full excursion, it's like going to war. You've got a group of guys all packed up, and you head off to a different country for three weeks. Every day is different, you have 21 chances for a stage win. If you miss it one day, you can always try the next day," Hansen says.
He has two Grand Tour stage victories to his name, one in the 2013 Giro d'Italia and one in the 2014 Vuelta a España, both with gutsy solo moves, but his main role is as lead-out for André Greipel.
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