ZW Photography

Giro ‘26, Stage 19.

Man that felt good, best spot in a stage I’ve shot in what feels like years. The Dolomites are the best mountain range in cycling, period. They’re my favourite mountains in the world and today the Passo Giau just did its thing as we ran around like crazy trying to capture it all.

Days like these are the ones you live for in this job, they’re the ones you slog through endless transition stages to finally get to sink your teeth into, at the end of three huge weeks it’s almost a relief when you’ve got this in front of you.

Sepp won, that’s so cool, he’s such a wicked guy, but also Jai’s up onto the podium - Mr Third Week really riding into his own, let’s see what tomorrow brings 👀 No flights to RideLondon booked for me this time 🫪

Can we start a petition to have a Dolomites stage every year at the Giro? Insane to me to have this at your disposal and go and use Monte Grappa or the Apennines instead 🫠

Anyway, one stage to go (because the last one never counts).

Giro ‘26, Stage 7.

Wow. That was a good day. It sounds very precious to say that very few days at work are truly fantastic when work itself is this good, but it’s a slog a lot of the time. Today was one of those days that you dream about when you’re shooting another motorway transition day.

From the Tyrrhenian Sea all the way to the top of Blockhaus, a 244km long mountain stage in the big ‘26 is pretty old school, I can’t say I saw many riders beyond the top 10 enjoying themselves. Nevertheless, I had a ball.

Harold had mentioned to me this morning that he’d found an insane coast shot, when the head of navigation talks, I listen. He knows what he’s doing. Scrambling up the hiking path overlooking this bridge I was waiting impatiently for the peloton to turn up, I knew it was gonna be special. They appeared out of the tunnel, in a beautiful, orderly line, an absolute blessing.

It’s gotta be one of my favourite photos I’ve shot at the Giro, everything about it makes me happy and shooting it was a genuine joy, so I guess it was no surprise my great morale carried me through the 200km “shortcut” we had to take to get to the foot of Blockhaus.

For whatever reason, back when I shot that climb in 2022 I convinced myself it was ugly, while far from the Tourmalet, it’s a bloody nice place to take bike racing photos. Jonas did what we all expected - but Felix pushed him all the way, so that’s some hope until the TT day at least 🥲

To top it all off Harry and I had what we both agree to be the best pasta of our lives tonight. Ristorante La Cantina in Villanova, just about Pescara in Abruzzo - the most underrated region in all of Italy 🫶

What a day 🥹

Giro ‘26, Stage 4-6.

Another triple stage upload coming at ya hot!

Cant say it’s been the most fruitful few days on the image front back in the Giro homeland. Between more over zealous police, traditional Giro coast stages (where photographic dreams go to die) and some truly bonkers weather, it’s been a pretty complicated few days!

Anyway, had pizza in Napoli for dinner tonight, that’s definitely a city I want to explore outside of a work context, it’s on the lengthy “come back without a bike race” list I’ve got in my head for when the time eventually comes for a holiday in all these places I’ve seen but never actually discovered.

Morale is remarkably ok all things considered, we keep on trucking towards the first big mountain day tomorrow. Jai won there back in 2022, great memories 🥹

Giro ‘26, Bulgaria Grande Partenza.

Well, that’s three stages and “rest” day done and dusted to get the best Grand Tour of the year rolling 🫡

Harry and I were keen to get a Race Chasers ep recorded about our Bulgarian escapades but between the 4.30am wake up this morning and my 550km journey from Rome in the hire car, the “rest” day has well the truly gotten away from us, you’ll unfortunately have to wait until next week for that!

Nonetheless, this is my Bulgarian summary:
People - wonderful
Food - amazing
Culture/history - fascinating
Police - utterly incompetent and extremely aggressive.

Wish we had more time in Sofia too. I much preferred the Hungarian Grande Partenza beginning in Budapest and then expanding from there to the smaller towns and cities, show off the crown jewel, not Bulgarian Benidorm! 😭

Anyway, there were a bunch of horrible crashes and there’s a new sprint king in town. It felt good to be back having pizza for dinner tonight, now the real race begins!

Ciao for now 🤠

Liege ‘26.

I couldn’t hide my excitement seeing the two of them rising above the brow of the top of La Redoute side by side. That’s a sight I really hope we can get used to as fans of the sport.

Sexis, finally someone that can hold onto the demigod clad in all white Lycra. At 19 you can’t help but feel we haven’t even scratched the surface yet, god I hope this is the start of something monumental. I’m well and truly on the Sexias hype train, but if he goes to UAE my displeasure will single-handedly cause a derailment 💀

Anyway, it was a Liege day. Very long, pretty dull even with the unorthodox approach to the script writing for the first 150km and Pog won. At least it wasn’t snowing like two years ago!

10 days off now before I tick off more of Eastern Europe with the Grande Partenza in Bulgaria - Giro time is fast approaching!!

Amstel Gold ‘26.

So begins the Spring Classics’ hangover…

Genuinely pleased I’ve managed to get a post out of this race this year. 2025 at Amstel was my top 3 worst performances ever on the tools for one reason or another, so it felt good to banish those demons.

I will continue to say though, that Amstel should’ve finished back in 2019. The single best final hour of any race in history. The Dutch national champion, the national hero, MVDP, with the greatest victory to ever grace this deeply dull race, that would’ve been a statement. Instead we’re still out here slogging around for 260km because we have to!

There was one good thing to come from today though, .cosnefroy drained his podium beer, he’s the true winner in my heart 🥰

ROUBAIX ‘26.

I don’t have words for what I felt today. I’m always the most excited for Roubaix Day. I’m hyped and I’m nervous and I’m buzzing all the way to the first sector, knowing how much intense stress and carnage is awaiting both the riders and us for the following 4 hours. To have all of that culminate in Wout winning like that was genuinely unbelievable.

What else can I possibly say about the man that hasn’t already been said? After the years of setbacks, countless crashes, luck so bad you wondered if someone had cursed him. Years of people doubting his abilities and some really hard losses, you’d almost expect to hear all about what you’d overcome to get to that point when the microphone is thrust in front of you for the post race interview. A chance to pour out all of the frustrations and pat yourself on the back. Not Wout. The first words out of his mouth in dedication to his late friend Michael, who passed away at this race in 2018. As if there were any dry eyes left in the house after he crossed the line, that dedication, put so eloquently and with so much composure, to the whole world watching and to Michael’s family and friends, that’s the words and the actions of a true sporting hero.

I’m so glad I got to capture this race. I’ll truly never ever forget this day. This’ll be what I’m sitting around telling my grandkids about when I’m old, the day Wout finally won Roubaix, the day he pointed at the sky and honoured his friend, the day he finally got what he needed and what we all wanted. There’s no better sport on earth and there’s no better race. Roubaix, always.

Flanders ‘26.

While Roubaix is my favourite race, nothing beats the Flanders’ spectacle. 1 million people lining the roads, almost all of whom actually know what’s going on in a sporting context - true fans with true passion, for a sport I’ve loved my whole life, how can you not get caught up in the excitement??

Pog rode off, as he tends to do. This time with far slimmer margins than previous editions, which is inspiring all kinds of hope for a fiercely close Roubaix next week.

At the same time, Remco coming to town today might be our saviour for future editions. 3rd on debut, some true grit and grinta on show and some haters deservedly silenced, it’s gotta be tough being a Belgian superstar but he cracks on and I don’t see why he can’t win a Ronde in the next few years.

No finish line today for me, not through lack of trying 💀 I was once more met with the unstoppable combination of someone who was no doubt bullied their entire school life being given some power to exercise over their fellow man (a security guard with no critical thinking skills following orders). This thwarted my last ditch effort to make the finish after some truly remarkable navigation on my behalf and some ace riding from my moto pilot Tom, hear all about it on the next episode of Race Chasers 🤠🥲🫡

Also, I really really hope Wout wins Roubaix, that’d do wonders for morale.

Anyway, I’m happy with today, I got some stuff I’ve not got before at Flanders, I improved stuff I’d done previously and most importantly of all, Roubaix is now less than a week away 🥹

DWARS DOOR VLAANDEREN ‘26.

Dwars is such a funny race. Midweek, before Flanders, it’s the oft forgotten middle child of the Flanders Classics. Much like the over achieving middle child in most families, winning awards at school, Dwars has spent the last few years giving us some of the best racing of the whole Classics Season.

Not to be outdone by its bigger sibling’s legacy, the Tour of Flanders, or its troublesome little brother that never behaves (E3 and its posters every year 🙄), Dwars stands up proudly and delivers well above its pay grade each and every edition.

If only Dwars didn’t have a vendetta against Wout Van Aert. It must get jealous of all of Wout’s clout, it does have a complex about that. However I don’t think this kind of back to back to back heartbreak of one of the sport’s most respected, revered and beloved riders is really necessary to prove your point 😭.

An almost season ending crash in ‘24, getting rolled on the line in the most unbelievable fashion in ‘25 and today, being reeled in with 100m to go by a charging Italian Stallion in Filippo Ganna (fitting given the trophy I suppose), in Wout’s own words “it’s cursed here”.

Maybe that’s true, maybe its the universe lining us up for the greatest payoff of all, another monument victory for Belgian’s favourite Son, this weekend or next, I’m not picky, but I sure am rooting for WVA 🙏

Gent Wevelgem 26.

Or whatever the hell it’s called this year 🤷‍♂️

Started the day in Middelkerke, at the newest crown jewel of the Belgian coastline - the Birdcage Casino, a picturesque place to lose your life savings and line the pockets of the gambling industry… Or to watch the start of an awkwardly named bicycle race.

For real though, “In Flanders Fields - From Middelkerke to Wevelgem” is the new name of this very prestigious and historic race that took place today. Whoever got that across the line in the marketing department must be related to those people that sell ice to Eskimos, or just desperate to shill for any extra sponsorship possible, I guess the thousands of VIP packages that get sold across this month aren’t cutting the mustard anymore.

Can you tell I found the race a bit dull today? In all fairness Gent Wevelgem has probably been my third favourite Spring Classic behind Flanders and Roubaix, so I’m entitled to my derision! The start in beautiful and historic Ypres was always a highlight of the season, so these changes have been most unwelcome to me, Gent Wevelgem’s biggest southern hemisphere dwelling fan.

ANYWAY. Race was exciting until it wasn’t, pretty much exactly when Wout and MVDP got caught 😭, that’s all there is to say really. I hope this means we’re getting a big showdown at Roubaix between those two, a two up sprint on the velodrome might make my brain explode, but let’s not live life entirely in make believe - yet.

E3 2026

IT’S GOOD TO BE BACK. The land of frites, beer and bicycles hasn’t changed much since my last visit and that’s definitely for the best. Great to start getting back into the swing of things over here, feeling very lucky that I made it over with everything going on.

Honestly a pretty smooth day all things considered, got the spots I wanted without too many curve balls thrown in and got a front row seat to possibly the most absurd onset of group two syndrome that’s ever overrun a chasing pack 💀

It’s not everyday you get within 20m of the win and fox yourself out of it, but that really is bike racing I guess, “if I’m not going to win, I’m going to make sure you lose” or something like that.

Many more cobbled races to come, in the best month of the year, what a treat 🥹