Ride and Smile!....

... I decided to have another attempt.at capturing the spirit of the UCI cycling championships, especially since the sun was shining when I left home.

By the time I drove a couple of miles into town, the weather had changed dramatically. So, wielding an umbrella in one hand and a camera in the other, I managed to catch at least one of the young cyclists doing what the poster told him to do. How they managed to look so happy in a heavy downpour cycling up one of the steepest parts of town.

This was the Men's Junior Road Race. By this stage, they had been cycling for over 3 hours!  Amazingly, they still looked to be enjoying it.

That is more than can be said about some of the spectators (see the first extra).

Throughout the race, loud speakers all round the course in town are loudly commentating on the the race. I heard at one point the speaker say that there was only one of today's competitors sporting a beard. He just happened to be on one of my first few shots of the day (second extra).