‘Expect to see us at some of the big Ardennes races’: Cole Kessler on Modern Adventure’s next step after debut season

Cole Kessler expects Modern Adventure to race a full Classics campaign in 2027, and to add some of the Ardennes races to it. The 23-year-old American has just finished his first professional season with George Hincapie’s team, which got wildcards to several of the biggest one-day races in its debut year.

“We’re going to have a pretty full Classics season. We’re going to do opening weekend and then the standard build through Roubaix. I don’t think we’re going to do Flanders, but who knows? The team is going to dabble in the Ardennes a little bit. I don’t know what I’m allowed to say, but just expect to see us at some of the big Ardennes races,” he told Domestique.

Factor will become co-title sponsor next season, and the team has set itself the target of reaching the Tour de France within five years. Kessler said the riders will test the brand’s new equipment.

“I think they really trust the feedback we give them on the bike, so it’s cool that we get to test new things and be an integral part of their project. Next year, people will get to see some cool new bikes from them,” he said.

The highlight of his first year came in April at his first Paris-Roubaix. Five of Modern Adventure’s seven starters reached the velodrome, and Kessler was one of them.

“That was the pinnacle of my whole year. Roubaix was my absolute dream race. Ever since I dreamt of being a professional cyclist, I’ve dreamt of racing Paris-Roubaix,” he said.

“It would have been perfect if I had been in the breakaway, but no breakaway went. As soon as we got to sector one, I knew my own personal race had started. When I got into that velodrome, all the emotions started flooding in,” he said.

He had gone into Roubaix with confidence from opening weekend. At Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne he made the early break with riders he had grown up watching.

“To be in a breakaway that was so strong, where I knew all these guys’ names, was really cool. It felt like I belonged in professional cycling, and that I wasn’t just a pack-fill rider who was going to get one pro contract and be done,” he said.

Kessler spent the previous two seasons at Lidl-Trek’s development team. He said a WorldTour team would not have given him the same race programme in his first year.

“If I was in a WorldTour team in my first year as a neo-pro, unless guys were injured or sick, I probably wouldn’t be at the start of Roubaix. When a team believes in you and tells you they’re going to give you these opportunities, that means a lot to me as a rider and as a person,” he said.

He said team founders George and Rich Hincapie took the pressure off from the first race.

“They put no pressure on any of the riders. They told us they do not care about UCI points and that they have a long-term vision for the team. They just wanted us to get comfortable in these big races and race like we know how to,” he said.

That approach paid off almost immediately. At the AlUla Tour in January, the team’s first race, Byron Munton was second on the final stage and Stefan de Bod finished fourth overall. In June, Ben Oliver won two stages and the overall at the Tour de Wallonie.

Riley Pickrell finally won a stage at the Tour de Langkawi in October, after coming close all season. He and Kessler were team-mates at Israel-Premier Tech’s development team.

“He’s incredibly strong and resilient. I’ve never seen someone crash so much and pick themselves back up and get after it the next day,” he said.

Modern Adventure has signed Jonas Rutsch, who was sixth at Paris-Roubaix in 2025, for next season. The team have also signed Australian champion Patrick Eddy, New Zealander Josh Burnett and American Owen Cole, the 2023 national under-23 road race champion. Kessler is looking forward to racing the Classics with Rutsch.

I’m really excited to line up with Jonas at the Classics and learn from him. It’s always good to have somebody with experience in the team who can help shepherd you along the way,” he said.

The new signings will meet the rest of the squad at the end of the month at a team camp in Greenville, South Carolina. Kessler said not having to fly to Europe in November is a relief.

“I’ve been part of development teams for the last four years, always going over to Spain in November and December, coming back for the holidays and then going back in January. That’s three trips across the pond, and it fries you a little bit before the season,” he said.

Kessler sees himself as an all-rounder, but the Classics are where his ambitions lie. He thinks the team will earn more respect in the bunch as it grows, which matters for positioning in those races.

“We showed the world this year that we’re here to race our bikes and we’re not just clowns. I want to show up to Roubaix in my best shape and give it a good crack,” he said.