It was the Forties group who got my attention on Stage 4. I picked the group up as they crossed the river Kwai. I had planned a few shots to capture the riders crossing the river but the sun gods were against me and I was unable to get the shot. I was surprised by the pace of the peleton and it was an exciting first few kilometers. It wasn’t until they reached the long false flat, that the pace settled down and some of the teams tried to control the front. This didn’t stop various riders trying to get off the front but they were always brought back into the fold. The descent was very exciting with speeds reaching up to 80km/hr. Hanging off the back of the motorbike with riders trying to sneak a draft and me trying to get a closeup was great fun. Once off the descent the road narrowed and it was littered with potholes. The marshal’s did a good job of directing the riders around the obstacles but it was nail biting stuff waiting for a possible pile up. It wasn’t until the last few kilometers that the real racing started – with a steep climb up to the dam, this is where the stage was going to be won and a small group finally went clear within the last few hundred meters of the climb. Riders then raced along the top of the dam to the finish. Another great day of racing and some fierce competition amongst the old guys.
It was a mixed bunch for todays stage.
The old guys set a blistering pace.
Trying to get a draft on the decent. One rider went for extra protection and not sure if this old truck was road worthy.
High speeds on the long decent.
Some of the locals weren’t that interested in the racing.
Nearing the final climb riders started to attack.
Shenanigans around the back of the course.
Scary marshaling around big potholes. At first glance I thought it was Jens Voigt but it turned to be Adam Horler tucking into his chicken rice!
by shep