Lawson Craddock grew up in the flatland of Houston but fought his way onto the WorldTour feeder team Trek-Livestrong when he was still a teenager. After turning pro three years later, he raced for Giant-Shimano, Cannondale, and his current team, Jayco–AlUla. In his 10 years in the WorldTour, he's taken podiums at the Vuelta, won the Time Trial National Championships in back-to-back years, and had a standout performance at the 2018 Tour de France, but not for the usual reasons.
Lawson caught up with Payson in Spain last week to reminisce about racing together in Texas as teenagers and his subsequent move to Europe and into the WorldTour. He talks about how getting pulled from the Vuelta in his first year in the pro peloton gave him extra fuel for a triumphant return the next year, and how a relentless training plan mandated by his team nearly derailed his momentum. He also details his viral performance at the 2018 Tour de France. After fracturing his scapula in the first stage, he went on the complete every remaining stage and raise $380k for his hometown velodrome in Houston which was damaged by Hurricane Harvey. Now in his early 30s and raising a young family, Lawson talks about whether he plans to move back home to Texas and whether he finally intends to fulfill his childhood dream of joining the family roofing business.

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