Benedito Tadeu Azevedo Júnior is known as ”Kid” in Brazil and is the technical director of Funvic Soul Cycles Funvic Carrefour, the Brazilian team which wants to be"competitive" in its first year as a Professional Continental squad. He has brought Brazil to the pro level with a team that will have a significant presence in Spain.

BiciCiclismo met "Kid" in Benidorm where the Brazilian team will gather their troops in the beginning of 2016. He is under no illusions about the challenge ahead and speaks cautiously about the WorldTour and the Tour de France. "Why not dream?" he says before underlining that he has his feet firmly on the ground.

”We have had the continental team since 2010 and with the companies that support us like Soul Cycles and a great friend, Joao Paulo (Diniz), we saw the opportunity to move to the professional level,” he told the Spanish site. “I have already known the company Velofutur since 2012, we maintained contact, and we saw that the appropriate financial conditions were there. I am very happy because Funvic is the only Latin American team in 2016 with a professional license. It is a safe, long-term project, not only for 2016 but with a plan to continue for many years.”

Next year the Olympic Games will be held in Rio di Janeiro which has partly influenced the plans.

“The moment was favorable although it was not the main thing,” he said. “But we met some people who gave the necessary support for the project to move to the pro continental level. Obviously, the Olympics are there, it will have a worldwide impact and can have an influence, but as a team it was a point that we always expected and it came now.”

Funvic have been active in Latin America for years but next year they will head to Europe.

“It is the main point of the project,” he said. “I would not have a team with a Professional Continental license if it was not riding in Europe. It would be meaningless. It always has to go through Europe, I think there is no other way for a team to grow. We need to have a base and riders here, with European riders. Spain is the start. We mainly have a Spanish calendar and the organizers have been kind to give us the invitations and a chance to prove ourselves.”

The project does not stop here though.

“I don’t think so,” he said. “When I created the team in 2007, I never dreamed of being Continental but we became Continental in 2010. Then we thought 'is it possible to be Pro Continental?' And it was possible. So we do not know where the team will get. I always want to work well year after year and we have to keep our feet on the ground and a calm head.. First, things have to work and we have to take the right steps. Next year will be the first in the new category and we hope to do well. Then we'll see what comes in the next years.”

The long-term goal could be the WorldTour and the Tour de France.

“I think it's the dream of every team,” he said. “Why not? We know it is very difficult. Hopefully we will see a Brazilian team in the Tour one day, in the main event of the world. It may take longer or shorter time , depending on how things go. In the case of MTN-Qhubeka, they managed to ride the Tour in four years but Team Colombia failed. So it will depend on the path that we follow. If we do things right, we might get there. I think we have a very solid base with the right people and that gives us guarantees. So I think we are well positioned to grow.  MTN- Qhubeka should be a model for us. In fact, we did some races with them when they began, like the Volta a Portugal in 2012 and the Tour of Utah in 2013 and 2014, and we saw their rapid professional growth. Of course we look at teams that have reached that goal.”

In 2016, the team will be led by two Spanish riders, Pablo Urtasun and Antonio Piedra.
 

“They have both personal and professional experience which will be very important to add to this new project,” Kid said. “I have met both and have verified that they can help the group a lot in every way.”

When it comes to results, Kid is cautious.

“It will not be easy in the first year,” he said. “We have to adapt to the rhythm. If we can get a result, it will be like a victory; if not, we want to do some good races, be present and be competitive, give a good image. This is very important and we think much about it. From late January until late February, a group will be training in Benidorm to be ready for the first part of the calendar: Andalusia, Murcia ... And we will not neglect the calendar in Brazil. We would have liked more support in February from the Spanish organizers. But we respect everyone and their decisions. The response, however, from other prestigious organizers has been fantastic.”

As a pro continental team, Funvic is allowed to do WorldTour races but Kid does not expect it to happen in 2016.

“It's very complicated,” he said. “We need some support from the organizers. They think we're a different team, the only American. First, it depends on us and the role we can play in other races.  The first goal is to act sensibly, see what our true level is, give good opportunities to the best talent in Brazil and then there will be a time when we can test ourselves in major races on the world calendar. Races like Andalusia, Turkey and Portugal will be more interesting challenges for us. They will tell us where we are and what we can aspire to.”