Gracing Podcast: Building a Gravel Team with Joe Laverick

Thomas is joined by professional cyclist and avid writer
Joe Laverick to discuss the state of bike racing
and Joe's ambitious plan to launch a new multi-discipline racing
team. The conversation explores the changing economics of the
sport, why teams will become essential in gravel, and the
long-term sustainability of the racing ecosystem.


Joe offers his perspective on the shift from the "Privateer Era"
to the "Team Era," drawing parallels between his team concept and
successful cultural projects like the UniBet Rose Rockets.


Content we talked about:


Joe’s Substack post about his plans to launch a team


Thomas's piece about his fictional team


Dan Bigham’s Aero Gravel Machine
️ Time Stamps & Chapters:


[00:00:00] Intro


[00:02:50] Update Gravel Earth Series
/ The Rift: How The Rift ended up outside the Gravel
Earth Series, the "by The Traka" brand, and more.


[00:11:05] New Life Time Grand Prix
Rosters: New European stars and the highest-level
newcomer for 2026.


[00:17:20] Conversation with Joe
Laverick: Why teams are inevitable and the key to a
sustainable ecosystem.

Key Takeaways & Discussion Points:


The Dawn of the Team Era: Joe argues that the
need for team tactics and organized efforts (evidenced by races
like Unbound) is now resulting in the beginning of the team era
in gravel racing.


Joe's Team Model: The concept is a
multi-disciplinary road and gravel team with a cultural focus,
emphasizing storytelling over just winning.


The Community Engine: The idea that a team's
long-term sustainability relies on building a robust
club/community layer that is loyal to the team's culture,
providing a core audience for sponsors.


Sports in the Attention Economy: Why
professional sports need to recognize that they compete in the
attention economy and think about their product accordingly.


Sustainable Sponsorship: Why a team needs
non-endemic sponsors to appeal to the cycling consumer's
outdoor/lifestyle interests, rather than relying solely on bike
brands whose sole metric is often bike sales.

Featured in this Episode:


Joe Laverick: Professional Cyclist, Industry
Analyst, and Founder of a forthcoming multi-discipline cycling
project. Follow him on Instagram and
read his Substack.



Thomas Euler: Host of the Gracing podcast and
author of The Gravel Stack Newsletter. Follow
Thomas on Instagram.