A couple of weeks back I had the opportunity to work on the Tour’o the Borders cycling sportiv, one of only three “closed road” cycle races in the UK, and one that attracts close to 2,000 riders to what is now an internationally renowned event.

‍Set in the beautiful Scottish Borders the race the 75mile course traverses mountain passes and stunning lochside valleys and, this year at least, was subject to some fairly gnarly Scottish weather, challenging conditions for everyone involved.

Tasked with capturing the essence of the event I reported for action at 5am, shot the start line and then headed out into the lanes, winding my way through the thousands of cyclists, always on the look-out for a view or point of interest to photograph. It wasn’t long before the weather made things difficult, not necessarily for me as I’m used to working in these conditions, but certainly for a small group of ladies that I encountered, some of whom had hit the road hard in an incident not seconds before I arrived. Tending to the casualty in the van whilst organising and waiting for medical assistance held me back a tad and, although I was still “in the race” the leaders were long gone and I would not catch them again.

I particularly enjoyed photographing the feed stations and views, and certainly the finish line and race village in Peebles (bathed in sunshine by this time) as it was a departure from my usual focus on the rider(s). Great experience being involved in an event where participation, collaboration and inclusion all come before competition… still can’t believe how fast the 80+ year old riders were in completing the 75mile course…. and so so refreshing to see so many finish line smiles.