You Mean There's More?

The great thing about shooting an ITT on a monster climb is that the riders come by sloooow. Even better is shooting from the top side of a switchback. For most of Stage 3's ITT I sat or even layed down on the outside of the of a switchback about halfway up a huge climb that reached an 18% grade at points. I've already mentioned riders' speed is great for shooting. For most of the guys, I got to snap several shots as they approached and even a few as they passed on by. The other great thing about my spot is I caught the expression on the riders' faces as they rounded the corner and couldn't see the end of the climb.

Christophe Rinero of Saunier Duval Prodir (above) had one of the best expressions of all the riders that passed by on the ITT. Rinero finished 6'04" back on the day. Not scorching the stage by any means but clearly enough to make me look like a school girl on a bike. As an aside, in 1998 Rinero finished 4th overall in the Tour de France at 9'16" back on Marco Pantani. Rinero has been around for quite a while hopefully I'll get a chance at another moment like this with him next year.

Thanks to the good folks at Cyclelicious for sharing the love of my photos and blog!