{"id":170244,"date":"2018-09-07T08:07:51","date_gmt":"2018-09-07T08:07:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=170244"},"modified":"2018-09-07T08:07:51","modified_gmt":"2018-09-07T08:07:51","slug":"interview-with-mario-stiehl-the-life-of-a-pro-photographer-following-the-peloton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2018\/09\/07\/interview-with-mario-stiehl-the-life-of-a-pro-photographer-following-the-peloton\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW with Mario Stiehl: The Life of a Pro Photographer Following the Peloton"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ever wondered what it\u2019s like to be an intrinsic part of cycling races, such as the Tour de France, Giro d\u2019Italia, Vuelta <\/span>a Espa\u00f1a, Paris-Roubaix? Basically all of the famous races there are? Well, that is the life of Mario Stiehl. Sitting on the back of a motorcycle all day, making sure that us cycling fans get our daily dose of cycling wonder pics. We sat down with one of the most published photographers in the world of pro cycling to talk about his exciting job.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

How did you start in the world of pr<\/b><\/i>o c<\/b><\/i>ycling photography?<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

I started in 1994. I come from East Germany, and when I was a child back then, all that we had was The Course de la Paix \/ The Peace Race. And I remember that we would go out of school and stand on the sides of the roads to cheer for the riders. That was my first encounter with cycling. Then I started following the Tour de France and the Spring Classics on TV whenever we had the feed.<\/span><\/p>\n

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PHOTOGALLERY of the Peace Race: Enjoy the Communist Counterpart of the Tour de France<\/span><\/h3>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n<\/div><\/p>\n

So photography was not you<\/b><\/i>r<\/b><\/i> <\/b><\/i>first<\/b><\/i> love<\/b><\/i>, i<\/b><\/i>t was <\/b><\/i>p<\/b><\/i>r<\/b><\/i>o c<\/b><\/i>ycling itself?<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, definitely. You see, in and around 1991, I took an interest in sports and sports statistics. One of my first goals was to write a book about cycling statistics because there was nothing available in (East) Germany.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, I would go to Strasbourg, France, to look for some materials. The idea was to create my own book in German about the sport\u2019s stats. As I got immersed in the project, I realized that what I really wanted and needed were… pictures.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Mario in the center with his colleagues Scott Mitchell (GBR) and James Starts (USA).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So I contacted some of the best cycling photographers in Germany at the time. When I asked them about the cost of their pictures, I could not believe how expensive it was! So I decided to take up cycling photography. It hadn\u2019t been my passion before. By the way, I never completed that book because I fell in love with photography.<\/span><\/p>\n

Do you remember Graham Watson? The grandfather of cycling photography. He retired two years ago. When I started, I would check out his books because I liked his style, and I have been looking up to him as an influence ever since. Five years ago, I spent one season with him, and it was a revelation for me.<\/span><\/p>\n

Could you give us a simple rundown of your day during a race?<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

First, it really depends on the stage and the travelling time around it. In some Grand Tours, it can be really long. I usually wake up between 6 and 7 am. Next <\/span>is shower and breakfast. Then I usually have to be on site two to three hours before the start in order to create all of the data for that day\u2019s stage.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then, one hour before the Signing Ceremony, I must be there to take pictures of the <\/span>Sport Directors, the riders and all of the people around the race. Next is the race where I spend four to six hours, riding a motorbike about 80% of the time.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Mario Stiehl<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After that comes the Podium Ceremony and all other things, which take around half an hour after the finish. After the Podium Ceremony, I go into the press centre for two to three hours to send the images to my clients. By the way, I am not the last one to stay at these events. It is always Tim De Waele, another pro photographer like myself (from Belgium), who stays the longest!<\/span><\/p>\n

After that, I head back to my hotel where I have to send off the pictures because c<\/span>lients are most important. They pay me for the whole season and they want to have the material as soon as possible. Then I talk with my driver to organise the next day.<\/span><\/p>\n