The amount of times I’ve looked somewhere and thought oh if only you could climb up there, above the road, around the cliff, through the dense bush, countless times. Today I did, finally, I had a little idea in my head, make my way up the cliff side over looking the coastal road, yeah whatever not the worlds best photograph but one I certainly had a lot of fun taking, mountain finishes are fun, they give you what feels like a free card to play with in the beginning, it’s all about the story on the final climb, those are the days hero shots obviously, so before that, it doesn’t really matter, shoot whatever, if the bike racers are only a few pixels large, so be it. I had fun!
Of course, Jonas won, in this world of predictable bike racing we saw that coming, maybe we didn’t see Felix only 13 seconds behind though, that’s a little thrill now isn’t it. Here’s hoping for a real bike race the next two weeks. Two and a bit? Not the rest day yet, two more days for that.
Also, there’s so much blue in today’s post, I guess that happened. I kinda like it. Definitely one of my favourite colours alongside black. Wow you’re learning so much about me.
Okay, midnight, well 22 minutes past it, goodnight!
The Giro always seems to find itself on a coastline road, it looks so good from above, watching the heli shots on TV, roadside it’s always messy, there’s chunky guardrails, train lines and beach clubs lining the sea, finally, after what has felt like a task for a few years now I took a photo of the coastline road that I like. Standing on an old power box, camera above my head, peloton filling the road. Yeah it doesn’t win any awards but I’m happy, small success. Okay what next. Yesterday was wet wet wet, poor bike racers honestly, that did not look fun. Igor Arrieta pulled off comeback after comeback and won, genuinely a thrilling finale to follow, today was chaos, unsurprising when there’s a slippery cobble corner a few hundred metres before the line, Ballerini won, another emotional celebration, that’s what we love. Trying to share photos on here, when it feels right, when I’m happy enough with them, it’s nice, no pressure, wanna keep it that way, it’s really just photos of a bike race, and it’s really just my Instagram. Goodnight 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼
Three days in Bulgaria! Bulgaria? That’s wild. Didn’t think I’d ever be typing that sentence anytime soon. Can’t say I’m sad to leave tomorrow morning, been a difficult few days trying to find something worth lifting the cameras for, this country definitely doesn’t seem built for bike racing just yet. All the same, worked as hard as I could to make something. Had a lovely three days in the car with Max and Zac and a charming time with the good humans at EF. It’s been a pleasure shooting Paul winning sprints, two now, a new king of the sprints, I love a new winner, and someone who really is thrilled to put the hands in the air. Lovely. Italy now, that’ll feel right, finally the Giro back in Italy. But don’t be fooled, there’s more motorway and cursed coastal stages coming. Oh bike racing. What a weird and wonderful niche. Goodnight pals, sorry for the lack of posts? Maybe? There’s a book to be made anyway. Ciao, goodnight again.
Phew Traka. Long couple days that. Probably the most under prepared I’ve come into a race for a while now, minimal recon, plans holding on by a thread. Funny how I feel like that could read like I was racing. Spent my days covering both the 360 and 200, men’s and women’s races across two days. That takes some serious logistical planning. Time gaps over an hour, broken live tracking, make it make sense please.
Thankfully was in the safe hands of Guillem both days. We drove possibly the most wild shortcut I’ve ever experienced, a river over my knees, uphill sand, trees across the trails. Betrayed my maps. How funny. Thankfully my friends Mats did it the day before, someone else to understand how absurd that was. Finally coming out on the race route again, we asked the first fans, have the elite men come past yet? Hoping. They laughed, yes 25mins ago. Oh man, time to dance back to the front of the race.
As beautiful a thing bike racing is, especially the Traka. There’s some pretty glaring issues. Open roads. Amateurs jumping the pro women’s start. Cars driving in the middle of bunches, I saw far too many close calls, a sprint finish well organisation, team staff, and TV stood on the literal finish line surrounding the winner. It seems more efforts are made on restricting the media access than keeping bike riders safe and the racing fair. Trust me it’s not the photographers who work a hundred days of racing a year causing problems.
Anyway. I’ll try not to let that overshadow how beautiful and delightful bikes are. I love the worlds they take you, the people you meet, the emotions they bring out and the escapism of a bike. Sunrise shoot tomorrow. Giro d’Italia on Tuesday.
What on earth happened today. One moment the gap was twenty seconds, makes sense, okay there was a crash, next update and we’re hearing four minutes, four minutes to 52 bike races one of whom happens to be Remco. Oh no. Well, here comes the fastest ever edition of Liege Bastogne Liege. Tadej, impressive, always is, didn’t seem bothered in the slightest, Paul Sexias, wow 19, second, and second best for sure, so close, crazy strong, yes he will be there in all the races now, challenging. Remco, whole day in the break, still third, wins the bunch kick, cool. Bike racing didn’t really make sense today, that’s what the extended highlights are for, confused photographers.
In Nine hours I’ll be home, one small sleep, one very early flight. I can’t wait. Four days of no photography bike racing coming up and honestly that feels very welcome. I didn’t really vibe with it today, autopilot rolled into action instead. But I did get to see Josh in the break and when we got trapped in the peloton for a moment I ended up right next to Finn, what a treat. OKAY. Goodnight. That’s the classics done. Happy. Now gravel. Then the Giro. Whew.
It was this race last year I took one of my favourite photos ever, Tadej framed alone in a little cracked window. Oh man. I had found that window on google earth and hoped to hell it would work. I was looking for my a window today, I mean, a new one, I knew that one wasn’t on the course this year. I just wanted to take a new favourite photo again. I didnt, and now this race is again added to the cursed list of races I will slander until the sun goes down. It had a brief one year hiatus, back to the chopping block Flèche Wallonne, please stop being boring.
BUT. Sexias winning is cool. I mean how long have we been begging for a new winner, someone to really rival Tadej. Maybe… let’s hope… is Sunday to early? Is the Tour to early? Honestly who knows. I’m excited for the showdown, hopeful to watch some good bike racing, Roubaix spoiled us.
Only 15 photos sorry. Boy that took a while to make peace with. I promise you the other five I would’ve added wouldn’t be worth your time. CIAOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
I stood in the Velodrome looking through a 500mm deafened by cheers of WOUT WOUT WOUT. Everybody wanted him to win that sprint, the story line perfect, you couldn’t pay someone enough money to write it. Like the champion he is Wout Van Aert kicked and no one was left wondering if he would finally be crowned the winner of Paris Roubaix. Hell even I was yelling. It reminded me of Cavendish’s 35, the atmosphere was electric, finally the fairy tale coming true.
It feels wrong to talk about my day, it pales in comparison to what happened around me, I’m honestly just thankful I got to be there, yes it’s chaotic, more so than any other race to cover, you really are left with no clue what’s happening, only a glimpse every second sector, a rush to find a photo then move on and repeat the process, again, I wish I wasn’t, I don’t feel like I’ve shot the race justice, I wish I could. As a fan. Oh I adore Paris Roubaix, as a photographer I just want to be better.
I can’t wait to sit and watch the race. The final 100km. Laurence P riding second down the Arenberg. WHAT THE HELL. Wout coming back, Tadej coming back, Mathieu almost coming back. Yesterday was absolute cinema and I haven’t even watched it. Gosh. What a day. Oh and I just drove back to Spain overnight, I’m really sleepy. Hope yall enjoyed watching the race too!
De Ronde, I don’t know if I have the words for what yesterday was, I’m not sure if I ever will, but I will try, I better for the book. It shocks me every year, it feels like all of Belgium is lining the roadside, it’s bigger than bike racing here, De Ronde feels like the culture, the way of life, it’s simply what you do. Waffles, frites, beer and bike racing. Belgium has a lifestyle I could get behind honestly.
I want to write about how amazing the racing was, how loud the crowds were, the spectacle of the Kwaremont. Honestly I’m not sure I know. My memory is warped but the hustle and stress of point to point, find somewhere amongst the thousands to park the motorbike, make a photo, exit, get back ahead of the race. Oh and make to the finish, gosh that’s a story. I’m on the couch now, I’m not getting up for a while. Thank goodness it’s a week until Roubaix.
The one thing I know is Tadej just maybe, maybe could win all five monuments this year, lot of water in the shape of a Mathieu Van der Poel to go under that bridge but it does excite me. It would be a phenomenal stat. I do love a good stat.
Oh and we ran out of coffee. I don’t think either Zac or I have the energy to go to the supermarket so that’s dreadful. We’ll complain about it on the podcast tomorrow no doubt.
Belgium thank you for being great. I love that you love bike racing. Until the next one! 📸📸
It felt like the glory days as I shot Mathieu and Wout climbing the Kemmelberg for the final time yesterday, the iconic duo riding away from the rest of the peloton as they did so often in the past. I don’t think it’ll ever not blow my mind how fast these bike racers climb the cobbled bergs here, the rest of us could only dream. I wish they didn’t get caught, but maybe it’s a good thing, maybe they’re saving it for De Ronde….
I never really have much time to look back at what I shot during the race, only once I download my cards, open up Lightroom and start the joyful and tedious experience that editing is. It’s funny. Sometimes I think I had the best day ever, start editing and literally considering imminent retirement, nothing worked, why did I shoot it like that, what the hell was going through my head. Other times it’s the opposite, you think the day was awful then quietly surprise yourself. Yeah yesterday felt like the first. Oh well. Always more cobbled races is the beautiful thing about Belgium.
I broke the stupid Nespresso machine this morning. That sucks too. Prayers Zac can fix it. I miss my Rocket.
Nothings coming to me sorry homies. I really wanna sleep. I feel like I aged five years in one day today, chaos chaos chaos. So many small Belgium roads and so many death cracks down the middle, stop here, shoot, ah I f*cked it up, run to the motorbike, drive, make it, don’t make it, stop here, repeat. Then repeat again, keep repeating for five hours. Gosh. Stressful. Fun. I think I’m happy enough with today, I really wanted to do that tractor shot better, I kinda rushed it, fell into a false sense of security. Oh well. I’ll live.
Phew exciting finale hey. Group two syndrome at its finest. Really could’ve caught Mathieu there I think. Crazy. Good bike racing. I like it. One down. One down. One down. Goooooooodnight.
Phew Milan San Remo. Longest race on the calendar and oh man does it feel like it. Some of the most thrilling, exciting, dramatic World Tour bike racing you’ll see all year, you only have to endure through the longest 250 kilometres beforehand, taking a nice photo before the coast feels like pulling teeth, honestly. Wanna shoot the Poggio and finish? No. Impossible. Heartbreaking really. If there was a world where I could, I’d be there. All the same I continued my now four year tradition of a little corner on the Poggio descent. I loaded the race on the iPhone and watched the fireworks begin on the Cipressa, the valley run in, the Poggio, Mathieu dropping, Tom hanging, I shot, then I ran to the podium. Long day, fun, sure? Enough.
I loved the bike racing, I love watching it, I was yelling for Tom, half watching my phone half shooting the remaining riders descending, really Im happy for Tadej, no one can deny he is a class bike racer, the best ever, cmon. I just love an underdog too.
Anyway. Im home now. For a few days. Belgium really soon. Maybe some bike riding first. Lots of editing too. Work season is on and I love it. Ciao Italy.
I wanted to make this video (yes on YouTube) for a while now! Why I made a book. Why this project means so much to me and share a few of my favourite photos and the stories behind them! I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again. THANK YOU so so so much to all of you who believed in this project, means the world over.
It’s my first video really talking to a camera, for that long. Scary stuff, I spoke way too slow. But it’s fun, I could talk all day about photography and what it means to me. It’s on YouTube. Let me know if you watch!
And yes. 2026 book coming. It was never just a book. But a collection. You’re gonna love it I promise.
Simon. For designing this masterpiece. Thank you.
Anyway. 4.45am call time tomorrow. On a shoot in Italy. Wanted to share this now because imma be dead the next few days.
All the love ❤️
