RadioShack mechanic Nick Legan talks about his journey from his local shop to wrenching with Team RadioShack at the Tour

Prior to the official Tour start I spent some time with RadioShack team mechanic Nicholas ‘Nick’ Legan, who will work on many of the most visible road bikes in the world as a RadioShack team mechanic at the 2010 Tour de France.

Legan’s career began as a local shop mechanic and part time racer in 2004. He took advantage of an opportunity to wrench for Team HealthNet in 2005, and then leapt to CSC, followed by time as the official U.S. team mechanic at the Beijing Olympics, then in 2009, Garmin.

A last minute call from Johan Bruyneel two months ago put him back on the front line. Legan’s fortune is a combination of mechanical talent, a willingness to sacrifice (a stable homelife), but also engaging the right people and taking advantage of opportunities. The long days and travel at the Tour are a significant; he will work something like 25 consecutive 18 hour days.

An Indiana University graduate, Nick’s introduction to the sport was as a team mechanic at the Little 500 in 2001, the annual collegiate race was portrayed in the Academy award winning movie, Breaking Away. I caught up with him in Rotterdam working on Dauphine winner Jani Brajkovic’s SRAM RED-equipped Trek Madone 6.

“The most exciting things are being here for Lance’s final Tour and being around such talented riders. There is obviously some pressure, and the days are incredibly long, but what helps make my job easy are the resources. You get what you need here and assistance is all everywhere, including Trek and your SRAM guys. Plus, its just fun to be here, I enjoy this environment.”

“I built that bike” – Legan points to Andreas Kloden as he warms up on the bike Logan helped set-up prior to the Tour’s start in Rotterdam

When asked about the rider’s specific needs, even peculiar requests, Legan was quick to confirm that, “these guys are easy-going, Andreas Kloden’s bike, for instance, is easy to set up.”

When asked about SRAM equipment he added, “It’s great to work with but I’m most impressed with the small differences, that’s what makes it special. Small things like the dual allen bolts on the chainrings, the SRAM Professional cables by Gore, and I dig the R2C shifters.”

A clean toolbox is a fast toolbox, wait, have I said this before?

Wrenches of the wrench – Nick keeps them nice and clean and in a particular order, a sign of a good and organized mechanic

Legan is starting a service only business when he returns to Boulder, we want to thank him for his time and wish him the best of luck on his journey with the RadioShack team.