Ciclocentrico 150 S-miles: nice weather is a state of mind (yes, it is)

September 2023, Avigliana/Torino (IT)

Three routes (from 225 to 500km) stretching all over Piemonte, about 130 riders of all kind, a gravel ride of one-to-three days, plus a minivan and a bike to shoot the whole adventure. This is 150 S-miles unsupported event – “nice weather is a state of mind”. Indeed, it is appropriate, since it rained a lot during the weekend. With the great guys (and gal) from Ciclocentrico we opted for a mixed approach, following the riders with a van on friday and sunday, and cycling with them saturday. No need to say, on saturday it rained – twice, a lot. We all were soaked, and this made the adventure really special.

What was good, or easy

Rain was not easy, but it was absolutely a boon for me. Riding with some of the relaxed groups, I managed to capture some interesting moments – despair, unease, fight against the wet, muddy climbs; and a lot of happy faces despite the weather.

Also, we managed to shoot lots of “off-bike” moments: riders putting on dry clothes in the van, drinking beers, and just having fun after of during the ride. There is a lot of teeth brushing as well. This gives a whole other perspective to the reportage, especially since there’s a different feeling when you’re not “the photographer” , jumpinmg off the car, shooting a couple of pics and disappearing again – but also a rider living the exact same adventure. Empathy is key (unsurprisingly) to a better outcome.

Lastly, shooting with Ciclocentrico was one one my first targets back in 2020, when Cicloreporter was born: so, this job had a very special meaning to me. Thanks guys for this huge check on my list ✅!

By the way, it was the first time I shooted from the bike since NordOvest Divide in 2021, during which we shooted a short video to promote the unsupported event.

What was bad, or hard

The gear took a good beat with all this rain combined with the fine grain of Roero, whose vinyards are made of fine sand. However, a simple cleaning solved everything. About this, I have to say, Olympus and its lenses are real tanks – I even managed to change lenses in the rain with no real problem. The hip pack, however, now has an exo-skeleton of mud.

Any surprise, good or bad

Shooting 3 full days dawn to midnight is demanding both physically and logistically, since you have to plan for a van/bike/van combination, with different kits according to the day. Surprisingly, all went well. The frustrating part – but it is a well-known issue – is that it’s hard to follow many riders when they’re scattered on such a long route: you have to choose which spots and which riders you want to shoot. There’s a lot to learn in this specific challenge.

This isn’t all bad: we have a list of new spots to cover for the next edition!

A few numbers

Pictures shot: 4300 in three days (of which 1800 on saturday, the bike day)

Final output: some 400+ pictures + a dozen BTS. There is a variety of genres: some rider portraits, pics for the sponsors, funny situations, riders riding all over, details and objects, and so on.

Equipment: On saturday, I used the minimal travel kit: Olympus Em1mkIII, Zuiko 12–40 f2.8, Lumix 35–100 F2.8. On the other days, I replaced the tele zoom with the longer Zuiko 40-150, and I added the 17 1.2 prime for morning/night, as well as the drone.