La Vuelta de Espana, Stage 2, Cascais to Ourem
When we set out to watch Stage 2 of this year's La Vuelta, the morning was still wet and damp, with mist lingering from the mountains. After a couple of hours waiting in the main square in Bombarral, the clouds cleared, revealing blue skies as the day warmed up. The excitement grew as more and more vehicles passed by — team cars loaded with spare bikes and official La Vuelta trucks heading to the next stage. With each passing GNR police car or motorbike, we knew the roads were being closed off and the riders would arrive soon.
Stage 2 of this year's La Vuelta ran between Cascais and Ourem, passing through Torres Vedras, Bombarral, Caldas da Rainha, and Fátima before finishing in Ourem.
The helicopter in the sky was the dead giveaway. As soon as we saw it, we knew they were close. Then a police outrider came into the square with the two lead riders not far behind. A minute or two later the peloton arrived — always incredible to see how fast they fly by. In the 30 seconds it took to snap these photos, they had already passed us.
The last time I was out photographing cycling was in 2018 at the Tour of Flanders. Since then I've bought a telephoto lens, which I used today to maximum effect. Even so, there's no time to think — it was a case of making sure I was ready when they arrived: battery charged, plenty of space on the memory cards, and hoping the focus was sharp and the composition passable. Then in a flash, they were gone.
Editing these images in Capture One was a real pleasure, thanks to the great weather and a well-chosen spot that offered two vantage points. After capturing enough shots of the riders approaching, I quickly moved about 15 metres to get another angle as they sped away down the road. It was a perfect setup — happy days!
