At just 19 years old, Adam Hartley powered to eighth overall in the Tour d’Alsace after placing second in the team prologue and solidly riding up the Planche des Belles Filles, but Hartley’s journey in cycling started around the age of 10. The Brit youngster came to the sport from 7-aside football and initially competed in sprint triathlons, but shortly after he decided to fully focus in cycling and cyclo-cross in the winter months. 

Adam made his first steps in the Manchester velodrome and already at U16 level, he got the first taste of the Belgian racing style while he was wearing the colors of the WD-40 Velocity Youth Racing Team. He kept on showing himself in the Junior ranks as he took the win in Mendips, a round of the National Road Series at the same as he broke the National Junior TT record over 10 miles, earning a spot in the GB Team for the Junior European Championships in France in 2016. In his second year in the Junior ranks, Adam took the next step in his development and moved to Spain to represent the colors of the Duranguesa S.C. Junior Team, with whom he took two wins and he came in fourth in Bizkaiko Itzulia overall, one of the most known international races in the Basque Country. 

Such a strong tally of results in the young ranks brought Adam to the GB Academy as a first-year U23. A strong program with races such as Tour of Yorkshire, Tour of Britain, Tour d’Alsace and Tour de l’Avenir, helped the nowadays 20-year old to keep on developing at a high-level and to show himself in the international scene, before stepping up in his development by joining the Academy ahead of the 2019 season. However, Adam uses three sentences to describe what cycling has taught him so far. “It’s not all sunshine and flowers. Enjoy riding your bike. Form is temporary, you have to work hard!”.