Pics from the Giro d'Italia, yeah a little late I know...

[ChasWG]

So my first posting of my pics here on POTN. So far love the site!

Anyhow, I got to go over to Italy back in May to work for Universal Sports and their coverage of the Giro dItalia. what a great way to start the summer! My real job is mixing sound for TV shows, commercials, or whatever. But I wasn't going to go to Italy and not take my camera.
every day we were within inches of some of the best bicycle riders in the world. Lance Armstrong, Levi Lephiemer, Ivan Basso, Alberto Contador, Danielo DeLuca, Marc Cavendish and the list goes on. And so I shot a couple pics. OK more than a 1000. Not all bike racing shots, country side shots, Rome, you name it, I shot it. Italy is a wonderful country with great people. I hope to go back next year.

#1 The Milan circuit Race
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj277/ChasWG/Work%20Photos/Giro%20and%20Italy/IMG_6629-1.jpg

#2 DeLuca wearing the Pink Leaders jersey
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj277/ChasWG/Work%20Photos/Giro%20and%20Italy/IMG_6631-1.jpg

#3 Sometimes we even got into the race and had to drive behind riders. A strange place to be...
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj277/ChasWG/Work%20Photos/Giro%20and%20Italy/IMG_6862-1.jpg

#4 Ivan Basso
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj277/ChasWG/Work%20Photos/Giro%20and%20Italy/IMG_6658-1.jpg

#5 Some journalist/fan in a Photo pit/cage near thhe finish line
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj277/ChasWG/Work%20Photos/Giro%20and%20Italy/IMG_6666-1.jpg

#6 Getting sucked back in
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj277/ChasWG/Work%20Photos/Giro%20and%20Italy/IMG_6789-1.jpg

#7 Climing into the Alps on American TV, do you see Lance?
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj277/ChasWG/Work%20Photos/Giro%20and%20Italy/IMG_6794-1.jpg

#8 Another drive by shot, I got good and routing us around Italy to get in front of the race so we could get "Pass By" shots like this using some really bad maps
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj277/ChasWG/Work%20Photos/Giro%20and%20Italy/IMG_6867-1.jpg

[jeff2231]

Wow, you really got around! Is that a Phase1 that the other photographer is holding in one of the middle pics?

[Mart_73]

Nice work! Quite jealous that you managed to get in the car following the race - what a privilege that is!!

#4 & #7 my favs.
#7 would have been even better if you'd cropped the cameraman on the right out of the frame.

[ChasWG]

Wow, you really got around! Is that a Phase1 that the other photographer is holding in one of the middle pics?

I haven't a clue what camera that is he was holding. I didn't have the best shot angle from that fenced in area so I shot him with the riders flying by in the background.

[ChasWG]

Nice work! Quite jealous that you managed to get in the car following the race - what a privilege that is!!

#4 & #7 my favs.
#7 would have been even better if you'd cropped the cameraman on the right out of the frame.

We had a car that had all the proper race credencials and badges. Though we didn't quite have the exact badging to be "in" the race. We could either be before the race or after the last car. But seeing how it was Italy and most people over there do exactly what they want, right or wrong, we just jumped in when it was safe. Nice view. Driving in and with the race was a great way to see the contry, no traffic, no stopping, cops waving us through. Fun! :lol::D:cool:

As for the camera man, well I laughed out loud when I saw that today. I was in his car driving home from Salt Lake City back to Denver when I pulled up this site on my Blackberry. (now that's cool, middle of no where on I-80 and I'm surfing the web!) That guy in the picture gives me quite a bit of work and was the reason I was in Italy to begin with. Well that and I'm pretty damn good at my real job. ;) I took that picture for him. The focus point was him.

As for Lance in that shot, that bugger is always back of Levi to his left, not all the way to the outside edge, but close. Look for a guy in an Astanna jersey, Yellow rimmed glasses and a black and yellow bike. Far right in the pack.

[ChasWG]

Here's a few more, from Italy.

1 Marc Cavendish (team Columbia Highroad) in the middle of the pack. A slow race for one of the worlds best sprinters
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj277/ChasWG/Work%20Photos/Giro%20and%20Italy/IMG_6657-1.jpg

2 Neutral Support from Mavic
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj277/ChasWG/Work%20Photos/Giro%20and%20Italy/IMG_6778-1.jpg


3 More climbing the Alps
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj277/ChasWG/Work%20Photos/Giro%20and%20Italy/IMG_6853-1.jpg

4 And and the look back, lots of riders that were out front did that here
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj277/ChasWG/Work%20Photos/Giro%20and%20Italy/IMG_6785-1.jpg

5 OK, so no camera man on the edge of frame, now can you see Lance? I have so many pictures like this with no clear shot of the man. Always on the edge of the frame or out of focus. A hard guy to shoot.
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj277/ChasWG/Work%20Photos/Giro%20and%20Italy/IMG_6793-1.jpg

6 Tylar Ferrar (Garmin), behind the main pack on this climb, but he was there for the sprint finnish with Marc Cavendish
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj277/ChasWG/Work%20Photos/Giro%20and%20Italy/IMG_6801-1.jpg

7 A young French rider getting worked by this climb
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj277/ChasWG/Work%20Photos/Giro%20and%20Italy/IMG_6806-1.jpg

8 This is what we were going over
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj277/ChasWG/Work%20Photos/Giro%20and%20Italy/IMG_6813-1.jpg

Sorry for the extra pictures in the same post, It was such a great trip though with some of the best riders in the world.

[Mart_73]

Ah, forgive me for asking you to crop your friend out of the shot!

"A slow race for one of the worlds best sprinters"

Ahem, "the world's no.1 sprinter"!
We don't get much to shout about in British road cycling, the lad's been a revelation!!!

Nice shots - sat here very jealous! Would love to have an opportunity like that.

[ChasWG]

Ah, forgive me for asking you to crop your friend out of the shot!

"A slow race for one of the worlds best sprinters"

Ahem, "the world's no.1 sprinter"!
We don't get much to shout about in British road cycling, the lad's been a revelation!!!

Nice shots - sat here very jealous! Would love to have an opportunity like that.

No problem about the crop, how could you have known. It gave me and him a good laugh though.

Yeah, Cavendish is prety darn good at the sprint finish. How many stages did he win during the Tour? Got to tell you though,he's a bit of a prick when it comes time for the interviews. He needs more media training. But he's young and will learn how deal with the media properly, or sponsors will be harder and harder to find for him. For now, he's fast and that's what's important.

[skywalkerbeth]

Lovely lovely lovely, thank you.

I returned from seeing the TDF a few weeks ago and am now hooked...

Mark CavenDISH. ;-)