"Wild chases on the motorcycle. Thousands of shots rain down on the people and a drone circles above me in search of its next target."

— Albrecht Voss

Deutschland Tour cycling race field in Thuringia

What sounds like a Ridley Scott sequel to Black Hawk Down pretty much sums up my assignment for the Society for the Promotion of Cycling. For the GFR, I photographed an advertising campaign for the amateur cycling race of the Deutschland Tour 2019.

Even though I currently keep a low profile with a pretty fixie bike, I have gained quite a bit of experience in the field of alpine mountain biking and with racing bikes. For an assignment with images that offer no second chance, such experience is of great benefit.

Cycling race through Arnstadt by bicycle

I received the request from GFR just two weeks before the start of the cycling race. The goal was to capture as many campaign motifs as possible on the day of the bike race in order to promote the tour again in the coming year. Accompanying the assignment was a detailed creative briefing, so that I could prepare for very specific motifs. The day before the shooting, I drove the 113-kilometer route by car. Detailed preparation was definitely the key to success for this shoot as well. After scouting, I marked all the attractive photo spots on a map and was able to work efficiently and flexibly with my team the next day.

Agricultural field in Thuringia, Central Germany

The day of the race began early at 07:00 on Erfurt Cathedral Square. Equipped with two cameras, studio flash and drone, I threw myself into the fun: get-together, starting line-up, team photos, impressions at the Cathedral Square, Miss Germany, Wolfgang Tiefensee. The to-do list kept me on my toes until 08:30, when the starting signal for the first race block was given.

Miss Germany at the cycling race

Bora cycling team at Erfurt Cathedral

Cyclists at Erfurt Cathedral

Deutschland Tour cycling race start in Erfurt

Then it was time for me to get on my bike. In the safe hands of my motorcycle driver Lutz, we drove from spot to spot to photograph the cyclists at the most beautiful sections of the route. In between, I hung backwards on the saddle of the motorcycle, one hand on the handle of the bike, the other hand clutching one of the two cameras, and delivered a continuous barrage of images and short video clips. You can't get any closer than that! Especially uphill on cobblestones, this posture became a feat of strength at the limit, but the pictures were worth it.

Drone shot of coniferous forest in Thuringia near Oberhof

Arnstadt, departure to Gräfenroda, Geratal under the A71, hairpin bend near Oberhof, provisions depot, village fair in Crawinkel. The five hours to my finish in Erfurt passed quickly, focused, and full of endorphins.

Every two hours, I sent the best images from the camera to the mobile phone and then directly to the GFR's marketing manager to provide my client with material for social media reporting. Immediately after the award ceremony, the comprehensive daily summary of the shoot went to the client. Fortunately, I had a few more days for the final image processing.

After eight hours, 150 kilometers of track, and 3,000 images, I was happy about a very productive day and a cold non-alcoholic beer from the event sponsor Krombacher. The production was a welcome change from my other shoots, where I can take as much time as I need for a subject to make it perfect.