In the middle of the Vélodrome André-Pétrieux, Modern Adventure’s Ezra Caudell and Cole Kessler bear all the hallmarks of a successful Paris-Roubaix debut: blistered hands, bleary eyes, and dust-smeared lips stretched into two big grins.
The two American youngsters are battered, a little dazed, but ecstatic – or ‘stoked’ – to have made it to cycling’s most iconic finish line, where George Hincapie and Bobby Julich’s new team flew the stars and stripes of their home nation at their first Monument.
“I knew it was gonna be pretty wild coming into it, but I didn’t really expect all of that,” says Caudell, whose mountain-biking roots will have laid a strong foundation for Roubaix’s rough terrain. At 19 years and 216 days old, the 6ft 7 rider from Acworth, Georgia, is the youngest – and tallest – of this year’s edition.
“I’ve been asked if there’s been a lot of pressure being the youngest, but to be honest I feel like it’s kind of the opposite, like no one expects me to do anything so it’s pretty nice to go out there with low expectations.
“My main goal was just to end up at the velodrome, just to get here. I would have liked to have done top 20 of something, that would have been crazy, but just being here is insane. It was pretty surreal just seeing Tadej [Pogačar] right next to me.”
Modern Adventure's Ezra Caudell was the youngest rider on the startline of the men's race (Image credit: Getty)
The teammates stand slightly apart from the rest of the squad who are beginning to regroup after battle, a posse of back-slapping burgundy clearly buzzing after their first Roubaix run-out. Caudell and Kessler are two of Modern Adventure’s five Roubaix debutants who have made it to the velodrome: Ben Oliver led the team home in 47th place, with Caudell and Kessler arriving in the same group five minutes later, 15 minutes down on winner Wout van Aert. Riley Pickrell, the only rider with previous experience on the pavé, did not finish.
Caudell’s 22-year-old comrade Kessler, near equal in enthusiasm and height, now joins in as he wipes the famed farm track muck from his chin: “It's the hardest race I've ever done. Just the pure length of it is gruelling. You know, you get to four hours in and you have almost two hours left. It's ridiculous, but the crowd was unbelievable in every sector.
“It was awesome. Dude, I was just soaking it all in because it's a dream come true for me to be here, and to finish in the velodrome is amazing, ” says Kessler, who signed for Hincapie’s first-year project after graduating from the Lidl-Trek Future Racing team.
“I tried full gas to get the break, but there was no break. So, I had to shift my focus. I was in the second group, and just kept trying to battle my way through but I got tailed off a bit and then found a nice group and got to the finish line.”
Cole Kessler has signed for Modern Adventure for the next two years (Image credit: Getty)
Despite their greenness, Modern Adventure packed a punch in the usual fight to get to the front, as both Caudell and Kessler were both part of the early battles to get in the breakaway.
“I think we brought the best team we could, and I think it showed: we were up there pretty much all day which is pretty crazy. I’m just super proud of everyone now, and I’m just excited to come back with a little bit more experience,” says Caudell.
A name like Modern Adventure – in all its fresh, novel sentiment – stands out against the peeling paint of the Roubaix velodrome, where a race steeped in 130 years of history was won on Sunday by one of cycling’s most loved and seasoned performers. But if half the beauty of the Queen of the Classics is the preservation of tradition, the other lies in the way teams bring their own identity and innovation to face the challenge – new materials, new tactics and new riders.
“I hope I’m inspiring the young generation in America to chase your dreams, because f***, to be honest, if you told me five or six years ago that I would be here right now, I wouldn't have believed you,” Kessler says, beaming.
