LADSOTOUR
Cycling Weekly|June 22, 2023
From 11th hour sports director to rest-day football, Joe Laverick discovers how to run a bike racing team on just £1,600 a year
Joe Laverick 
LADSOTOUR

Walking into the Rodos Palace hotel in Greece for the first time, I didn’t know what to expect. I’d agreed to come to race a block of UCI races in Rhodes off the back of a handful of Instagram DMs. What followed over the next 10 days was perhaps the most fun I’ve ever had in and around a bike race – a mix between a lads’ holiday and a bike racing team.

“Noooo stress,” says Charlie Lacaille for what seems like the 100th time today. It ’s the first week of March on the Greek island of Rhodes and SN Vitae Bim Bam Coaching RT are opening their race season at the International Tour of Rhodes.

You’d be forgiven for not knowing who SN Vitae Bim Bam Coaching RT are. Or, why are they in Rhodes at all. They are a club team set up this season by 24-yearold Charlie Lacaille, who wants to do things differently. Most club teams’ first race would be a local closed-circuit crit, or maybe a National B road race. Lacaille chose three weeks of UCI road racing.

Why? “Two of my friends who raced cyclo-cross didn’t have a team for 2023, I coached them both and they asked me if I’d be keen on setting up a team and getting some custom skinsuits printed,” says Lacaille. “A couple of the other riders that I coach were without a team too, so I got them on board. After racing the Tour of Serbia last year with the Velo Schils team, I realised the UCI stuff is fun. From there, I started pinging out emails to every UCI race in the world that I thought we could get invited to and got more replies than I thought.”

At the time of writing, SN Vitae Bim Bam’s calendar is due to include races in Rhodes, Uzbekistan, Hungary, Poland and of course, the UK. Quite an eclectic mix.

This story is from the June 22, 2023 edition of Cycling Weekly.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the June 22, 2023 edition of Cycling Weekly.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM CYCLING WEEKLYView All
FRED WRIGHT TRUST THE OFF-SEASON PROCESS
Cycling Weekly

FRED WRIGHT TRUST THE OFF-SEASON PROCESS

This time of year is always my favourite, training wise.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 28, 2024
Richardson hits the ground running in GB colours
Cycling Weekly

Richardson hits the ground running in GB colours

Track sprinter wins two from two on opening night of Track Champions League

time-read
3 mins  |
November 28, 2024
Claims against Wiggins's estate double to £2m
Cycling Weekly

Claims against Wiggins's estate double to £2m

Briton’s efforts to pursue money through courts have been paused

time-read
1 min  |
November 28, 2024
Volunteers needed to revive UK scene
Cycling Weekly

Volunteers needed to revive UK scene

In the second part of our series on the domestic scene, we ask how a shortage of volunteers is impacting road races

time-read
3 mins  |
November 28, 2024
CLASSIC BIKE BOB JACKSON TANDEM
Cycling Weekly

CLASSIC BIKE BOB JACKSON TANDEM

Leeds legend's racing bicycle made for two

time-read
1 min  |
November 28, 2024
“I even tried hiding my power readout - it made no difference"
Cycling Weekly

“I even tried hiding my power readout - it made no difference"

Watt's up? The Doc's stuck in a threshold rut

time-read
3 mins  |
November 28, 2024
UK SCENE BARNES AND EEDY WIN IN EAST MIDLANDS
Cycling Weekly

UK SCENE BARNES AND EEDY WIN IN EAST MIDLANDS

Hudson and Mills win North of England Championships in regionals weekend

time-read
1 min  |
November 28, 2024
WATT WORKS FOR ME ZOE BACKSTEDT
Cycling Weekly

WATT WORKS FOR ME ZOE BACKSTEDT

The youngest member of the storied racing family talks about her first pro victory and juggling the demands of road and cross

time-read
2 mins  |
November 28, 2024
MAKING TIME! 14 WAYS TO SQUEEZE MAXIMUM GAS FROM MINIMUM TIME
Cycling Weekly

MAKING TIME! 14 WAYS TO SQUEEZE MAXIMUM GAS FROM MINIMUM TIME

Short on time for training? Rob Kemp shares smart hacks to stay razor-sharp on the bike while showing the schedule who's boss

time-read
8 mins  |
November 28, 2024
SHIMANO RC703 SHOE
Cycling Weekly

SHIMANO RC703 SHOE

Mid-tier performance shoe that behaves like a contender

time-read
2 mins  |
November 28, 2024