When you want to photograph the Tour, what should you pay the most attention to?
You must maintain one-hundred percent concentration throughout the race. Nothing should escape you. If something happens, you must be ready to capture it. You must have a clear head. If you have problems at home, you might get lost in thought and miss an important moment. Even more attention must be paid to safety. A photographer must never endanger the riders. For example, the lens cap must not fall off during the ride, so I tape everything up. But the biggest nerves are for the motorcycle driver. During my career at the Tour, I’ve had five drivers and only one was the dreamy type. A year after riding with me, he needed to squeeze through somewhere and accidentally hooked a rider. He even dragged him a few meters behind him. A driver who makes such a mistake faces consequences. Even if the cyclist is unharmed, footage of the incident runs on Eurosport in TV trailers until New Year’s Eve.
How intense is the rivalry among photographers at the Tour?
Very intense. It’s a highly competitive but professionally correct environment. When I, as a girl, joined the men, it took about two years for them to get used to me. At first, they watched because someone with a ponytail appeared in their purely male space on a motorcycle. I never used being a girl to my advantage because I would have ended sooner than I started. When I processed my photos in the press office, I noticed how photographers walked around and glanced at my monitor. Everyone was curious how the girl was doing. I looked at theirs the same way to see if I missed something. Once they accept you into the group, you’re like a fish in water. There’s competition, but if you have a problem, like a flat tire on a motorcycle or need a memory card, everyone helps.
Can you share some tricks that help photographers during the Tour?
The key is not to underestimate home preparation. A photographer must know what happened and what is currently happening. You need to put information into context and think ahead. Not just one step, but at least two. Every piece of information can influence the outcome. For example, if you read that someone has a sore leg, you keep an eye on them in the peloton to see if they might drop out. You must discuss all scenarios in advance with your driver, as I was one of the photographers documenting the races from a motorcycle. The relationship with the driver is extremely important. You must be in sync so that he knows how and where to go when you want to take a photo from the motorcycle. Drivers also have their pride, and it always makes them happy when “their” photographer takes a good photo. The driver must trust you and have a reason to do it for you. It’s a prestigious job for them too, as they often started at small races in Belgium and gradually worked their way up to the Tour.
How do you choose the best spot for photography?
This is absolutely a key question. On a motorcycle, you constantly have to decide where to position yourself in the peloton and where to stop. I work for a Dutch agency, so I had to carefully consider whether to stay up front with the rider in the yellow jersey or stick with a Dutch rider further back, even with the risk that he might drop out of the race. A photographer is primarily doing journalistic work and must respect their employer’s assignment.
But you still have to be in the right place at the right time, right?
Of course, because a good journalistic photo will be in the newspapers the next day, and ten other photographers are waiting for the moment that can decide the stage’s ranking. If you want to photograph the Tour, you must be skilled, have the right information, a lot of experience, a great deal of intuition, and a bit of luck. During each stage, you’re constantly deciding whether to ride ahead of the peloton to find a great photo spot or stay with it and shoot only from the motorcycle. It’s also crucial how well you sync with the motorcycle driver. This greatly determines whether you get to the right spot. If you make the wrong decision, the peloton might get away, and you won’t have another chance to pass it in that stage or section, as you can only do so under very limited conditions that have become stricter over the years.
Do you have a favourite photo?
I value timeless photos that are still appreciated years later. Usually, these are well-thought-out shots where you find a place with a beautiful background and wait for the cyclists to arrive. Or when it was the hundredth anniversary, and I knew I wanted a photo of Armstrong with the Eiffel Tower. It was risky, and the shot might not have worked because I had to have the camera on the ground and couldn’t look through the viewfinder. I was tempted to find a spot for a sure shot, but it wouldn’t have included the tower. It worked out, and it’s one of the photos I still like. Armstrong included it in his book. Then there are photos for the agency service. They survive until the next day, not a day longer. You wouldn’t put such photos in a book; nine out of ten photographers should be able to take them.
Is there anything that shouldn’t be photographed at the Tour?
Any photographic taboos? Everything is photographed, even during a mass pee break, though I usually avoid it because it’s funny once, but then it’s just a repeated joke. Controversial is photographing crashes, which are part of the Tour. I have a personal story about that.
What happened?
Before the 2009 Tour, we were in Berlin reporting on Jens Voigt. He took us to his home, where his wife Stephanie and all their children were. He said he didn’t want to train in Mallorca because he enjoyed spending time with his family. He was very sympathetic, and three weeks later, at the Tour, he crashed right in front of me. He was lying on the ground, bleeding from his head, and I had tears in my eyes but knew I had to do my job and take photos because there was also a doctor doing his job.
What’s your relationship with fans?
I like fans because they create the atmosphere at the Tour. They make a show that’s rewarding to photograph. I have a good photo of Chris Froome riding his last time trial among fans. I found a spot among crazy English fans who were dancing along the track and spent half an hour with them to gauge their behaviour when Froome arrived. I always try to capture more in a photo than just the rider. Such photos set you apart. Of course, I also photograph blood, sweat, and tears, but I enjoy it when a photo has a second layer.
How has the work of a photographer changed over your 25 years at the Tour?
There used to be less competition among photographers. I think it started with the arrival of Lance Armstrong, who popularized the Tour de France globally, and the advent of the internet. Suddenly, everything is at your fingertips. It used to be much easier to take photos, but sending them was hard. Now it’s very hard to take a photo that no one else has. With the advent of digital technology, it has become easier to get photos to the editors, and there’s more competition.
All spectators have smartphones and can take photos. Sometimes, it’s challenging to keep the frame clean without the audience blocking it. With the advent of mobile phones and competition, the requirements for agency services are increasing. Earlier, a photo from the finish was enough. Now, it’s much more work, and it also requires knowledge of social media. I now spend a lot of time processing photos, which used to be done by laboratory technicians.
So, does it feel like it was better before?
If you enjoy the work, it doesn’t matter. The effort put into the photo pays off, and you get great joy when you succeed. Now, it’s challenging to differentiate a good photographer from an excellent one. We all have great equipment, and you must constantly improve, learn new things, and keep up. The key is to capture moments in a new way.
