Tour of Flanders - 2018

SONY A7R | Voigtlander Nokton 40mm | ISO 160 | f4 @ 1/30s | © James Gray

For a long time I'd wanted to ride in a one-day classic race — Milan–San Remo or Paris–Roubaix were the dream — but never imagined I actually would. Then in 2017 I was talked into riding the Tour of Flanders the following spring. So began some long days in the saddle in preparation for a race totalling 175km. On the morning of the event, looking at my fellow competitors, I figured I hadn't prepared nearly enough and that this was going to be a very long day.

Ahead of me were about 25 hills, including the world-famous Koppenberg — a climb with an average gradient of 11.6% and a maximum of 20%.

None of these hills are long, but they are short and sharp. Wet cobbles, cyclists passing close by, and people stalling in front make for a difficult and demanding climb. On some hills there was simply no way to keep moving — too many people ahead, or someone had stalled with no room to pass. But on a few, the road ahead was clear and I made it to the top without stopping, lungs nearly bursting, with a great sense of achievement each time.

My bike was old and, like me, absolutely knackered. One saving grace was that it had a steel frame. Heavy going on the short sharp climbs — I kept wishing I was on a lightweight carbon bike — but the steel soaked up the cobbled sections far better than carbon would have.

I got round in just over six hours, covering 175km. The rush of adrenaline crossing the finish line was something else. A real sense of achievement, and an enormous wave of relief that I'd made it through in one piece with neither injury nor mechanical failure.

SONY A7R | Voigtlander Nokton 40mm | ISO 640 | f4 @ 1/125s | © James Gray

The photographs above are all from the following morning, when the professionals raced. The day was won by Niki Terpstra of Team Quick-Step Floors.