Been crazy busy lately so the blogging has been on ice for a while but here's a batch of photos from the
Ronde van Retaard that was held in Gothenburg this year.
Used my analog Nikon F65 with a roll of Fujifilm Superia 200 film and Nikkor AF 50mm/f1.8.
Not much to say about the Retaard than that I was glad I could participate yet again in this fantastic event! Big kudos to the organizers!
Early morning to catch the commuter train to the starting point.
People getting ready and waiting for the last ones to drop in.
Queue for the race numbers.
Race general working out how to attach the broom to the broom car.
Happy faces before the race!
Some even flew in from Germany just to be in the Retaard!!!
Among the first stops.
Race general waving in the participant in the goal of this leg.
Some a bit later than others. ;)
The owner of the
Citroën H Van, saving some of us from dehydration.
Time for some snack, before the stop we were handed musette's (small cotton bags with various food and 'stuff') and suddenly I had new strength! :)
Alfsomfan tasting the "Athletic booster" that came in the musette. ;)
Attached with a rubber band to the small bottle of "energy drink", was a cigarette and a matchbox, I decided to save it for later, unfortunately(!?) the cigarette got pulverised in the bag, fortunately the liquid stuff was OK! ;)
This girl managed to make a major crash back on the first leg but continued bravely onward, sadly she had to throw in the towel with just two legs left in the race, apparently she had a micro fracture in the shoulder!
Lunch time! It was pasta salad with various sausages, a table full of different cheese, prosciutto, biscuits, pickles and grapes, then there was beer and vine for quenching the thirst! Coffee took a while to get since there was only two machines brewing but I think everyone got a mug or two.
Official(?) photographer and some one else...
House... boat?
More pauses, that's when I could get the camera out of the Camelbak.
One of the last stops. Most people started to notice the hours on the bike saddle by now! :)
There was always some waiting, both for all the riders to arrive and then for the organisers to organise the next leg. Amazing planning they must have done, impressive!
Some took shelter from the rain under the tent roof that was retracted from the Citroën van. It just kept surprising us with it's tricks! :)
By now I was totally soaked by the rain and the spray from the other riders wheels, not sure if I got most water on me from the sky or from the road! The wool sweater kept me warm despite the moist!
100 km later we were almost in Göteborg! Had to stop and take a photo of the track in the dark misty forest but I didn't quite manage to capture the mood as it had right then. Ah well...
Happy to have made it!! There was a insane steep hill, up to the finish! Walked most of it but I had to ride the bike over the finish line! Almost didn't make it due to cramping in both legs!
There was a huge mast on the top of the hill!
Some were vise enough to spare the booze until the end! This was the last photo I manage to take before the trigger on the camera got stuck, think all the sand and shaking in the Camelback took it's toll! More about it later...
After all had finished there was a short price ceremony at the foot of the hill and the winner got a bottle of champagne and celebrated with applauds and a big fireworks! Magnifique!
Then it was off to the after party with free beer and more food! =)
Forgot to start the tracking in the beginning but managed to plot 94 km of the race:
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