The Giro d'Italia

One look through our body of photography reveals we do not shoot much cycling.
Why, when I am all consumed by this beautiful sport do I not shoot it?
“Don’t combine work with fun.”
“Keep your personal and biz life separate?”
Yes, I guess these are the reasons.
But here and there we shoot it, and I enjoy it.
I grew up in America yet with a strange love for European cycling. Somewhere along the lines I found the sport and have been passionate about it ever since. From racing fulltime, to strict training programs, to just going out each day and being on my bike, cycling is the one sport that has remained with me all through my life, 30 years on my bike, always looking forward to it. It is also one of the primary reasons for living in Italy, for here it is a culture. The quality of the riding and those you ride with is something extraordinary.

And so a special day came along on May 26. The Giro d’Italia visited our town. It was a day that when I first saw it on the schedule, I would allow nothing to get in the way of me watching this stage, live. Even better, it was an uphill time trial on my very own training roads.
I left the house early on my bike, intending to ride up the course and check out the going’s on. I was not disappointed, like a river of people, uphill it flowed, all the Tifosi streaming up the course.
Names were being painted on the road, banners raised, good viewpoints staked out. As I pedaled up the 16% climb, I, along with all the other riders were cheered for. Everyone was getting in the mood to scream a bit louder.
Finally nearing the top, I realized I was surrounded by pro riders, they were on course checking it out. And there, right alongside me, Alberto Contador himself, looking focused and prepared to defend his maglia rosa.
I stuck around a bit, gawked, then descended straight to my house to get Janine and meet friends to head back up for the race.

At the house I decided, “Okay, one lens, I’ll shoot something”. Some part of me just wants to watch, to look into the eyes, to see the effort, not to be shooting. I have been shooting work each day, all week, now I just want to take it all in, be a tifosi and scream for each rider. But the camera, thankfully, goes along.

We take the gondola to the top of the ski mountain, get out and find ourselves in a sea of humanity, all there to see these riders time trial up a dirt and gravel road that rises as much as 24%. It is too much I think, ridiculous, just too steep. Torture. Even the motorcycles struggle to get up it.

As we begin walking down the course, the roaring begins, a rider is coming, and there, finally, not zipping by as is so typical when watching a pro race, but slowly, painfully even, rocking the bike from side to side, all the effort of 24% on his face. It is brutal, it is beautiful. Goosebumps cover me, I am in the tunnel of fans all screaming and pounding on the barriers.

Rider after rider passes, I shoot some photos, I talk to some fans. The older lady next to me knows each rider by sight, at 200 meters, she just knows. “Here comes Bosisio”, she gasps, and then, “Bettini!!!, Bettini is coming”, she sees the World Champion before I do, the intensity of the screaming doubles as Paolo rides by, he rises from his saddle and his back wheel spins a bit on the loose gravel, a small stone shoots out from his wheel and it goes between the woman and I.

Finally, the last rider appears, but before him, like a wave of energy, the sound comes. Screaming, sirens, stomping and pounding; the maglia rosa is coming on the back of Alberto Contador. Finally, I am witness to the sport I love so much. Contador passes inches from me, the old woman always keeping her hand on my shoulder in case I lean too far out while I make my photos.
I shoot, drop my camera, stare at this athlete and scream for the maglia rosa, for cycling (high drama for Italians!!) and for all the energy I am a part of. My own voice cannot be heard above the roar, I am just a part of it all.

Morris Possoni arriving at the steep

Giovanni Visconti, Italian National Champion rolls through

Alberto Contador in the maglia rosa

More images from the Giro:
http://patituccistock.com/giro/