Bergen 2017

Faces of the World Championships by Kåre Dehlie Thorstad

By Soigneur

September 25^th, 2017

"The World Championships are races I usually skip, as they are difficult to work on as a photographer. But as a Norwegian, obviously I couldn’t miss this one. It just might be the last time I’ll ever experience a WC in my own country! As a Norwegian citizen living in Norway, I’ve been following the preparations and build-up of this event quite closely, and it wasn’t obvious this was going to be such a huge success. There was talk of financial problems, logistical headaches, and the weather conditions were a tremendous gamble. Bergen’s infamous bad-weather reputation goes travels far beyond the borders of Norway! In the end, we got a glorious week of cycling, and the multitude of spectators along the roadside will be remembered for a long time to come.

I think media and riders from abroad were amazed at the enthusiasm of the crowds during their stay in Bergen, but having experienced the madness at cross country skiing events during winter time, it didn’t really come as a surprise to me. Norwegians are fanatics when it comes to sport, and they just love to dress up and put up a good show. They managed to channel these passions into this event, even though cycling is small compared to other sports. Surely, not everyone knew what they were cheering for, but they had so much fun doing it!

As the course in Bergen just had to feature the iconic location of Mount Fløyen in some kind of way, I was really happy they fit it in the mens' ITT! I am always up for challenging the established rules, like messing up a time trial with a brutal hillclimb, so I found it great fun. There is only one way up and one way down the hill, and practically no space on top, so it couldn’t be used in any of the road races. Again, this was also a hefty gamble logistics wise, but it worked out! And the crowds just loved it! The bike swap, however, was just a joke. I think it says it all that most of the big guns opted to stay on their TT machines, with only silver medalist Primoz Roglic of Slovenia hopping off for his road bike on that red carpet, kindly laid out by the UCI.

You wonder where these youngsters learnt to be so hard on their bodies, and what’s driving them to do it again and again. It's a very intense experience, watching these frail and young bodies sprawled out on the tarmac.

The junior men and women made a lasting impression on me. Many of these promising riders were riding way beyond their limits, and just fell off their bikes after crossing the finish line, completely worn out by exhaustion. Sometimes I felt awkward photographing these young boys and girls, shattered and drained. Not all have the privilege of being assisted by a soigneur after such a tremendous effort, and you really feel you ought to help them get back up again instead of sticking your camera up in their tired faces. You also wonder where these youngsters learnt to be so hard on their bodies, and what’s driving them to do it again and again. It's a very intense experience, watching these frail and young bodies sprawled out on the tarmac.

I try not to get too attached though, as that would complicate matters and make it difficult for me to focus on my work. On the road, we are professionals. The riders do their job and I do mine. That’s how it works for me. I will not be the one chatting with riders either before or after a race. Just like them, I need to be in my zone, focused on my objectives for the day. And post-race, after crossing the finish line more dead than alive, I do my best to treat the riders with the respect they deserve. It is sometimes difficult to approach them when they are in such a state, but I think you intuitively know when to look away."