Tyre tracks across my back by Keef Charles

Having spent Saturday with friends in Whitby, taking in the wonder of the Goths and then an evening in Middlesbrough sampling some great live music, did we need anything else to round off the weekend? Maybe not but I’m glad there was: a bicycle race on the Sunday morning, although the title of this piece doesn’t make that clear.

Why not call it something a little more obvious like “Race” by the Swiss band Yello or “Bicycle Race” by Queen, which positively screams out to be chosen. There’s a reason. A friend joked when I posted a shot from this set, that he would only believe I lay on my back in the road to get the ‘tarmac POV’ if I showed the tyre tracks, by way of proof. Ha! I’ve got to admit that I wasn’t risking life and limb laying in the road itself, nor was I on my back, I was shooting with an 18-200mm zoom at the road’s edge, laying on my front, contorting my neck. Don’s comment however, aside from making me smile, did bring to mind the lyrics of Jimi Hendrix from “Crosstown Traffic”. It’s actually a song about fraught relationships, but what the heck…

I’ll be the first to say there’s nothing profound about these images but when I came across them the other day, they brought back fond memories with a certain immediacy. They took me back to April 2018, the noise, the vibe, the end of a full and fun photography weekend with friends Andy and Linda. That Sunday morning there was a buzz in the air, a sense of expectation, the town closed off for a few hours as Guisborough, North Yorkshire hosted the start of the bike race.

It felt like a big occasion but it’s the little things that can make a difference, like, with the people waiting for the riders to crest the hill, a mother stopping in the middle of the road to sort out her son’s shoe. In truth, they weren’t at risk although you couldn’t help but will them to hurry up, lest things got messy. I’ve got to say, the grey cloud laden sky added to the mood and the warm sandstone of the buildings provided a perfect neutral backdrop for colourful riders and machines. So, there you have it, a great weekend and a simple story on the street, albeit one with a strange title.