‘There hasn’t been an American team for a long time’ - Cole Kessler chases the dream at Modern Adventure

After two seasons at the Lidl-Trek development team, Cole Kessler found himself out of contract at the end of 2025. That search coincided with the foundation of the Modern Adventure Pro Cycling project, led by former professional George Hincapie. Last summer, he announced that his team would enter the peloton in 2026. 

Kessler explained that he first held formal talks with Modern Adventure at the American Nationals back in May. 

“We were talking, and I had my first kind of interview with them but I was still not sure, and some other things were kind of up in the air with other teams,” Kessler told Domestique.

“No real offers or anything, but I was still trying to figure out and talk to a few teams, and then when the plan kind of started coming together and I started to hear more about Modern Adventure, it just sounded too good to pass up. It's kind of a dream, you know, to be able to chase your dream on a team with a bunch of your friends that you've raced with in the past. It’s pretty cool.”

Modern Adventure’s roster is backboned by a strong contingent of American riders, with twelve in the 21-man roster, including the experienced Robin Carpenter, and younger riders such as Kessler and 18-year-old Harry Lasker.

Teams such as EF-Education EasyPost and Lidl-Trek, which was American-registered until German supermarket chain Lidl took a majority share, feature American riders on their rosters, but the numbers in their ranks pale by comparison to their previous inceptions in the mid-2010s. The chance to race in a distinctly American team appealed to Kessler. 

“It’s pretty awesome, to be honest, as an American, you always dream of being on a team with a bunch of your compatriots from your same country, but we haven’t had that opportunity, you know,” Kessler said. “There hasn't been an American team, or at least an American team with mostly Americans on it, for a really long time, so it’s really cool to be a part of something new like this.”

After coming from the Lidl-Trek development structure, which serves to hothouse young talents for promotion to the WorldTour squad, Kessler highlighted the relaxed feel of the Modern Adventure setup, though he stressed just how professional the setup of the first-year team is. 

“I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how professional and well set up it’s been,” he said. “I have to say it is a way more relaxed environment - not that Lidl-Trek wasn’t relaxed, like I found it really nice there – but this is really cool. The DS staff is super young, and they are all ex pros, and they didn’t retire that long ago so they know the game. They know what it feels like to be an American a long way away from home. They really care about how you are doing and your well-being, which is something that’s refreshing.”

The American sports directors at Modern Adventure include Joey Rosskopf, who was a pro for 13 years before retiring at Q36.5 Pro Cycling, Alex Howes, who spent his entire pro career at EF, and Ty Magner, who most recently was a part of the L39ION of Los Angeles project.