2018 Cyclocross World Championships, Valkenburg – Day 1

Cyclocross World Championships. That can only mean one thing – incredibly long and intense two days, peppered with amazing racing. I spent the week in a hospital, looking after my girlfriend, so I only arrived at Valkenburg this morning, I missed two days of course recce that helps so much to make the most important weekend of the race manageable. This is where experience comes handy. Having shot Valkenburg a few times in the past years, I had had a good idea of the course’s layout and how to get around.

Also, having a fair amount of experience allows you not to fret when you don’t have a game plan. I knew, that by the end of the juniors’ race, I’ll have an idea what is and what isn’t feasible in 40 minutes. Obviously, the juniors’ race was more memorable that just a dress rehearsal for the other races, seeing Ben Tulett win the World Champion title was an amazing experience.

I am lucky enough to be the UCI’s official photographer, so I’m doing again some behind-the-scenes photos after the finishes of the races. I get to see the riders in a very raw state, just moments after their win and it’s a truly unique experience and I’m trying do justice by showing these moments to you. Plus, I also have to take a photo as the newly crowned World Champion signs a rainbow jersey. This allows me to stand behind the podium and I’ve managed to take a few cheeky shots today, that included not just the riders but the fantastic crowd and the photographers.

I also need thank a few people for their help this week. Kristof Ramon picked up my slack and helped out with an assignment in my absence. Russ Ellis helped me out with a few really great shots from the Friday training day for my clients. Lastly, my fellow Hungarian country man, Gergely Schoff does the standard podium shots for me, while I’m up to no good behind the podium. Thanks for all of them for their help after a difficult week.

More to come tomorrow (or today, by the time this goes live), stay tuned! Oh, and one more thing. If you enjoy my work and want to buy my cyclocross annual, you can do so by supporting the Kickstarter campaign below. The campaign ends in 8 days, so don’t wait, pledge today. And if you can’t afford it, even just sharing it with your friends and family would be really, really helpful. Thank you.

Finally, the latest episode of the Cycling Podcast’s Cyclocross Podcast with yours truly is out now, you can listen to it here:
https://thecyclingpodcast.com/podcast/the-cyclo-cross-podcast-saturday