Today was the final stage of the race and after a rough few days I was kind of looking forward to it. It was another flat stage on a mixture of big wide roads and country roads. I decided to start with the Open group and work my way back down through the groups and try and capture the faces of the peloton rather than the country side.
The Open started like a bat out of hell and the pace was through the roof, who would have thought these guys had 4 days of racing in their legs however there was some real suffering going on. Eventually it settled down and this is when I stopped and waited for the next group. I stuck with the next group for a while before stopping at a little shop for a break and to wait for the next group. Much to my surprise there was a group of guys drinking beer. It was only 9.40 in the morning and they were already 6 big bottles down. I declined the offer of a glass of beer and just took a couple of photos which they were happy to pose for. Finally the last group rolled trough and I was off again. I hadn’t shot this group before today so it was nice to capture some fresh faces and also get a few shots of the women in the peloton.
Todays race finished pretty close to the hotel thankfully as it was pretty hot. After a quick shower it was off to the final lunch and prize giving and then onto the bus back to Bangkok airport. In a way I was relieved to be heading home as this was the toughest race I’ve covered due to feeling off colour, however I still had a great time and I am looking forward to next year.
Various methods of race prep before the start.
A fast start for the Open guys.
Peloton Women.
Beer o’clock! 0940hr.
The race wouldn’t be what it is without all the hard work from this special lady. Until next year Kai…..
by shep