The 14th round of the World Cup treated us to some really great visuals. I won’t comment on the race action except to say that since I could not get to the finish for the Elite Women, I watched the last half-lap on a big screen. That was a very fun race and the tension and excitement of the finale were palpably rippling through the crowd, who were not exactly Dutch partisans.
I have heard the parcours compared to Hulst a few times and honestly, if I had not heard that I doubt the thought would have crossed my mind. True, they both have moats, but that is where the comparison ends for me. In Flamanville there is nothing close to the elevation of Hulst, where the riders are frequently dwarfed by the scale of the earthworks. But this year I think Flamanville was actually the more fun race to shoot. In Hulst there were so many opportunities for photos from any given point that it was at times paralyzing and I felt that I was missing more shots than I was getting. By contrast in Flamanville I found myself more limited (not least because of the crowd) but then found that the backgrounds and options were still excellent. I was also remembering how to incorporate the crowd into shots; something I have missed recently.
Great writing and, of course, pics. Thanks.
Going to go out on a limb guessing Taylor Kuyk-White was the only rider on a steel frame with Canti’s?