Sunday morning, I slept like an over grown baby. Most likely due to the pain I was in from the long hike up Willunga hill with 10kgs of camera strapped to my back. I was glad it wasn’t another repeat of Ground Hog Day which I had suffered for the past two days.
I started my gingerly walk towards the criterium circuit along King William Road and from a distance I could see all the cycling fans swarming the front steps of the Hilton. They may have been a little disappointed as minutes later you could hear the loud whizz of the medium profile wheels of the peloton rolling along King William road. To the ears of a true roadie nothing beats the sounds of whizzing medium profile wheels and cleats clicking in and out.
By the time I had reached the intersection of King William and North Terrace roads, you could see the long line up people lining up near the start line of the circuit. At this point I saw Stuart O’Grady and Baden Cooke approach the traffics lights on this intersection to join a couple of Sunday cyclists. Joining the two Saxo Bank riders was another pro, Lance Armstrong. I am sure those Sunday cyclists will tell tales of how they went for a short ride with Lance, Stuey and Baden. It was a pity that I did not have my camera handy otherwise it would have made a nice photo-journalistic shot.
Saturday morning felt like I was just like Bill Murray in Ground-hog Day. Yes, I did not have a spot in the van. You can imagine what was going through my mind. Luckily, I called the crew I rode with yesterday and confirmed that there was a seat available. We drove to the start line in Snapper Point and the weather didn’t look too promising.
The crowd were eagerly waiting for Lance to step out of the van for the autographs. One of my goals for the day was to photograph Lance looking straight at the camera with a little smile, however it never eventuated. Some folks from the crowd tried in vain to photograph Lance would he wouldn’t look. So a few of them gave me their cameras and I happily obliged to photograph Lance for them. The media crew I was with decided to stay till the first sprint. As each minuted ticked away I grew more anxious and nervous waiting for the breakaway group to pass the first sprint point. The gentle breeze from the shore, was nudging the long lens I tried to keep steady. It got even worse when I was waiting for the peloton to pass by as I wanted that sweeping shot as the peloton snakes around the bend.
After the first sprint point we headed out to Willunga so that it gave the few of us who were keen to get to the top as quickly as possible. Upon arriving in Willunga I was surprised to see the sheer volume of crowd walking up Willunga hill whilst dodging the eager cyclists as well. It was what you see and expect on alp stage in the Tour De France, though on a smaller scale. The views from Willunga Hill were amazing you could see the ocean and the green landscape which would make a picturesque back drop.
