Casper Snoots’ professional cycling career began at 1 2 Cycle where his talent as a technical rider and a potential cobbler was uncovered. Alongside a fellow English rider Darian Hadfield, his training began, and his talent rapidly fulfilled with an appearance in the English national team in his first full season, in which appropriately he helped his teammate Darian to a 4th place.
His stay at 1 2 Cycle was short though and within two seasons a transfer to Yuri SuperTeam took the 24 year old Snoots to Portugal and to the 1st division and it was here he was to stay for over seven seasons. In terms of personal glory his most successful season was his first, in which a pair of second places in Paris and a 5th place in the classic Norwich-London underlined his ability. The top step of the podium eluded him until his first and only victory, in a race that could have been designed for him, Je...
Read moreCasper Snoots’ professional cycling career began at 1 2 Cycle where his talent as a technical rider and a potential cobbler was uncovered. Alongside a fellow English rider Darian Hadfield, his training began, and his talent rapidly fulfilled with an appearance in the English national team in his first full season, in which appropriately he helped his teammate Darian to a 4th place.
His stay at 1 2 Cycle was short though and within two seasons a transfer to Yuri SuperTeam took the 24 year old Snoots to Portugal and to the 1st division and it was here he was to stay for over seven seasons. In terms of personal glory his most successful season was his first, in which a pair of second places in Paris and a 5th place in the classic Norwich-London underlined his ability. The top step of the podium eluded him until his first and only victory, in a race that could have been designed for him, Jerusalem Midnight Ride.
A transfer to Spin Doctors in the twilight of his career at 31 followed, when his place in a top division 1 lead out train had become questioned. He arrived at the team early in their development, and was quickly a key lead out, excelling in the LO2 role and helping the team rise to the 1st division within a few seasons.
Casper’s specialty was as a lead out with his abilities on tight, fast, technical corners where he could make the biggest difference. He would study the finishing 3km of each race, and could be spotted running through these in his head the day before a crucial race like a bobsledder tilting his head to the right and left. On race day he had the power to position himself at the forefront of the peloton and as the roads became narrower and the turns tighter as the finish line approached he would come into his own, positioning his leader in an ideal position to complete the job.
On the face of it, this modest return in results for someone of Casper’s talents looks unimpressive, but his contribution to the triumphs of others extends far beyond this. Casper has ridden an incredible 27 tours with 7 trips to Netherlands a favourite of his. You will not see two Volta ao Porto sprint classification victories or a Nederlandse tour general classification in his palmarès and neither will you find two Vejle-Koebenhavn, a Helsinki GP or a Grasse-Toulon trophy in his cabinet at home, but he was in the lead out train that made these wins happen.
As his skills waned in his last season or two his potential contribution behind the scenes started to look more tempting to him than a future role as an over-qualified water bottle carrier and he is a valued trainer in Spin Doctors’ staff, and has even started earning himself some money recently, after years of dedicating himself to the glory of other riders.
England