The start of something new...

Hello, and welcome to a new project. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Joe Laverick and I’m a 19-year-old full-time cyclist based out in France. I’m from the north-east of England, Grimsby to be specific. I’m currently living in Chambery, a town on the edge of the Alps. I race for Chambery Cyclisme Formation, the U23 development team for AG2R La Mondiale. And yes, we wear brown shorts.

I’ve dabbled with writing for a while. I studied English Literature at A-Level, and honestly, I hated it. Since leaving school I’ve tried to document my ‘cycling story’, through both social media and blogs. I pen a monthly blog for the British Continental website, as well as doing a monthly column for Cycling Weekly.

I’ll carry on doing my pieces for the aforementioned sites, but I’m also committing to doing my own thing. I’m going to start a blog which covers all parts of cycling. The first section will simply be ‘Life in France’, it’ll cover my life as a Brit on a French cycling team and what it’s really like living abroad. The second will be a little different. The ‘Interviewing Mates’ section which will see me chatting to people across the cycling world.. Riders, coaches, journalists and fans – I’ll be chatting to a whole host of people to give you a behind-the-scenes peek. I'll also be covering some of the equipment I use as well as doing some pieces on tips I’ve picked up along the way. I’m hoping I’ll appeal to every cycling fan. Whether you’re an absolute bike geek and want to see how I save a singular watt in my time-trial set up, a junior who’s looking at moving abroad, or simply someone who enjoys a club run. There will be something for everyone here.

I hope you enjoy reading and be sure to check back twice a week for new posts. ----------------------------------------------------------------

Life in France #1

What does an average day in France look like? Well, how long is a piece of string? We've been in a weird period (aren’t we all). Racing is on the horizon, and we're due to be starting on this weekend.. But these last few weeks, well it’s been a little random.

Throughout winter, we’d have school – 3hrs of French class – in the morning and then we’d head out training in the afternoon. Most of our day was taken up by these two things, which left little time for much else. School’s out for summer, and we’re currently training like normal, going out at 9am most days and back early afternoon. So, what the hell do we do the rest of the day?

That’s a question I find myself asking a lot! Our time spent in café’s has gone up tenfold since the winter months. It’ll get to 3pm in the afternoon, and a message will go into our team group chat – ‘anyone fancy going to the café?’. We’re bike riders, we’re bored and the weather outside is bliss, of course we fancy getting a coffee.

When I’m not on the bike or in the café, I’ve got to do actual adult stuff. I know – shocking. Moving away for the first time made me appreciate just exactly how much Mum does at home! From shopping, to washing up, to cleaning. There always seems to be something to do – defrosting a freezer is truly an adult job.

On top of this, I’ve started doing a little bit of work with Peaks Sports Consultancy. Working with Andy Jackson, as his apprentice coach. I’m enjoying developing my off the bike skills. I have a lot of spare time as a cyclist, so I thought it would make sense to learn something new. I’m learning something new, and I can help out others who want to bring a little more structure into their training. I’m not pretending to be a know it all coach – but I think it’s fair to say I have a mutually beneficial relationship with those I work with.

Of course, this blog is a new project which will be taking up a fair bit of my time, and I’m looking forward to calling some friends and getting some interesting stories which, I can share with you all.

I pretty much finish every day the same, calling home. I’m lucky that I’ve moved away in 2020. I’ve heard lots of stories about guys who moved to Europe in the 90s and early 2000s. They’d have to go down to the phone box at the end of the street and call their family once a week. FaceTime is a wonderful thing and most evenings I’ll give my parents a quick call and then call my girlfriend before heading off to bed. It’s not always easy living away. The first few weeks in January were really tough, but it’s much easier now. I’m loads more confident with the language, and Chambery feels like home. However, I think whenever you move away, you always miss those home-comforts and it’s nice to check in each night.

So, there we have it, entry #1. Provisionally, I’m planning on uploading Wednesday and Sunday every week. Thanks for reading and let me know your thoughts!

My next blog is coming soon and is all about the money situation and how I afford to race full time.

Keep up to date:

Instagram: @JoeLaverick1

Twitter: @JoeLavo

Email: jtlcycling@gmail.com

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