Favourite Photos - Erskineville/Sydney June 2004 - Trees and Shadow

Trees and Shadow - Erskineville - Wed 16 Jun 2004 (picasa)
Just a very simple photo I like. Pass here each work day as I walk up Swanston Street to Erskineville Railway Station. In winter, when the trees lose their leaves, they project interesting shadows onto the wall of this Terrace House. The trees are now much bigger and the shadows produced are not quite the same. Have taken many shots of this wall over the years, but I have not been able to get a better shot than this first photo.

Have seen many interesting photos that play with shadows. A tribute article (9 Niv 2002) by Robert McFarlane for the late Ingeborg Tyssen helped me to start looking out for shadows. A quote from the article I liked was:

'Whenever possible I carry a loaded camera ... I react without too much thought. Rarely do I wait for a situation to resolve itself. Nor do I direct or provoke people. The important aspects are composition, texture and light.'

A nice way to look a photography and when I look at my own photographic evolution, I guess I have unknowingly tried to look for at least the same three points - 'composition, texture and light'.

Shortly after Ingeborg Tyssen death in 2002, the Art Gallery of NSW arranged a Memorial Exhibition of some her work. I was really impressed by the simplicity and effectiveness of many of her photos. Indeed, for the most part, it was about 'composition, texture and light'. I also have a copy of her book - Ingeborg Tyssen: Sydney photographs.

The following was one photo, I really enjoyed and was a great 'play' on the use of a shadow ..

Tree#55 (1983) from Tree Series (Ingeborg Tyssen)
Another photo reveals the framing trick employed ..

Tuscon/Arizona - 1982 - see here (Ingeborg Tyssen)
I can't really remember, but I expect these simple shadow photos, helped me to see many shadow photos that I have taken over the years. One humble attempt in 2007 follows:

Tree Shadow - Wilson Street/Newtown - Jul 2007(picasa)
Liked the positioning of the shadow of the tree trunk across the path segment - beautifully aligned for a random photo. Also the top of a real tree apparently growing out of a shadow and the position of the air vent. Nothing great, but I was happy and entered it in the 2007 Sydney Life photo competiion which closed a few days later (of course to no avail :-).

A few more random shadow related photos that I could easily find just now, follow:

Pyrmont Bridge - Darling Harbour/Sydney - Thu 31 Jul 2003 (picasa)

Tree Shadow - Perisher Valley - Tue 6 Jan 2004 (picasa)

Pole Shadows - Wellington/NZ - Tue 5 Nov 2002 (picasa)

Shadow (and Silohuette?) - Circular Quay/Sydney - 8 Dec 2002 (picasa)
I think one thing that has helped me think more about shadows in photography, is the strong Australian sunlight. I have found when travelling in the UK and Europe, the sun does not seem to shine as much and when it does it is not particularly strong, and the shadows don't seem to be as prevelant. In Australia, shadows are hard to avoid, so you need to work with the stronger Australian light or you just avoid taking photos at these times.

In writing this, I have just thought of photos that employ the use of the Silohuette. Will write something about this at a later stage as I have also employed the use of silohuette's in many of my photos over the years and is another aspect of photography I enjoy.

Lastly, a little Shadow Excercise I read about recently (in Paulo Coelho's 'The Pilmgrimage'). Often it is fun when walking around to look at a shadows and try and work out what it is that created the shadow. Most of the time it is reasonably obvious (as in these photos), but sometimes it can be difficult to work it out. Have fun ..

Great Southern Land - Icehouse - Australia Day Live Concert / Canberra (Tue 25 Jan 2005)

Great Southern Land - Icehouse - Australia Day Live 2005 / Canberra (Tue 25 Jan 2005)
City on a rainy day, down in the harbor
Watching as the gray clouds shadow the bay

Great Southern Land - Icehouse


A pretty random post, but it has put a smile on my face and was fun to put together.

Heard this song on the radio on the way to training yesterday evening. It's a song you will often hear on the radio on a stormy afternoon or evening.

The storm clouds were looming as we got closer to Bank Street and it had started to lightly rain. The wind came up and the air became colder, and in combination with the songs haunting lyrics, driving beat of the bass and drums, and the memories it evoked, it made me tingle and I was covered in goose bumps.

The music and lyrics seem to capture the feelings and mental images that I carry with me, to be and feel Australian.

Australian Parliament House - Canberra - eight years ago today (Sun 17 Mar 2002)
I guess that's all reasonably vague, but feelings for me are difficult to describe - much in the same way Dennis Denuto demonstrates so passionately, yet unconvincingly, in the classic Australian Movie The Castle:

It's the vibe of the thing, your Honour.

The vibe or the gist are terms I use a lot to cover for my inability to express my feelings or what I am thinking :-) Dennis is my hero. Here he is at his definitive best:

The Castle - in the Federal and High Courts (youtube)
Some random memories. The song goes back to 1982, which would have been my last year of full-time uni. I did see The Flowers (Iva Davies predecessor to Icehouse) at the University Union in the 2nd Term of 1980 and then a few weeks later back in Wagga Wagga for the University Holidays. Was excited to have some friends, from my school days in Wagga Wagga, to be the local supporting act. For some reason I asked Jenny whether we could have the song played at our Wedding Reception. She liked it and it was played during the night and as a filler as we said our farewells at the end of the evening. It was put on repeat as I we took a lot longer than we had planned.

Great Southern Land Lyrics

Standing at the limit of an endless ocean
Stranded like a runaway, lost at sea
City on a rainy day, down in the harbor
Watching as the gray clouds shadow the bay

Looking everywhere 'cause I had to find you
This is not the way that I remember it here
Anyone will tell you, it's a prisoner island
Hidden in the summer for a million years

Great southern land
Burned you black

So you look into the land and it will tell you a story
Story 'bout a journey ended long ago
If you listen to the motion of the wind in the mountains
Maybe you can hear them talking like I do
"They're gonna betray you, they're gonna forget you
Are you gonna let them take you over that way"

Great southern land, great southern land
You walk alone like a primitive man
And they make it work with sticks and bones
See their hungry eyes, it's a hungry home

I hear the sound of the stranger's voices
I see their hungry eyes, their hungry eyes
Great southern land, great southern land
They burned you black, black against the ground

Standing at the limit of an endless ocean
Stranded like a runaway, lost at sea
City on a rainy day, down in the harbor
Watching as the gray clouds shadow the bay

Looking everywhere 'cause I had to find you
This is not the way that I remember it here
Anyone will tell you, it's a prisoner island
Hidden in the summer for a million years

Great southern land, in the sleeping sun
You walk alone with the ghost of time
They then burned you black, black against the ground
And they make it work with rocks and sand

I hear the sound of the stranger's voices
I see their hungry eyes, their hungry eyes
Great southern land, great southern land
You walk alone, like a primitive man

You walk alone with the ghost of time
And they burned you black
Yeah, they burned you black
Great southern land
Great southern land
Great southern land
Great southern land

You might be able to guess why I picked this particular youtube clip of Great Southern Land. Two weeks to Nationals. Canberra here we come .. really looking forward to the racing with my team mates and catching up with all our friends from right across Australia.

Lake Burley Griffin Sunset - Black - Canberra (02 Aug 2002 *)

Favourite Photos - Newtown 2007 - King Street - 'Communication'

Communication - King Street, Newtown, Sydney - Wed 14 Mar 2007 (picasa)
Second photo from a collection of favourite photos.

I had been to the Dendy Cinema to see a movie a few days earlier and was struck by the light and this scene when I left around 6pm. The late afternoon light in Sydney is beautiful this time of the year - interestingly enough it is almost 3 years ago to the day this photo was taken. Unfortunately I did not have my camera with me at this time, so I made a mental note to come back at some stage in the near future - which would turn out to be just a few days later.

On the day this photo was captured, I had taken a half day off work, in the afternoon, so that I could attend one of Jenny's medical appointments at St George Hospital. I was in my car on the way to meet Jenny and Joanne for the appointment when Jenny called to say that the appointment had been cancelled due to unforseen circumstances and that we should meet at Dragon Boat training that night back in the City.

I had a few hours to spare, so I thought I would go back to Newtown and have a coffee at Urban Bites (a favourite haunt for me, but the opposite end of King Street to the Dendy) for a coffee. When I was there I remembered the photo I wanted to take and I realised I had my camera. Decided to take the 10 min walk back to the Dendy to take this photo which had similar lighting to what I had seen a few days earlier.

I guess what I like about this particular photo is the composition. I only took a couple of photos and really did not look at it closely until I downloaded it to my computer. There I could see all the detail - things I really had not noticed when I took it.

I saw all the signs - things telling us what to do (the "No Stopping" and "No Entry" signs [1], "One Way" and parking signs), and the signs that identify things. For instance the Map of Africa and all the countries identified, the graffiti tag and the nice frame around the Map, the number plates that identify the motor bikes and scooters, etc.

A couple of other things I liked were the:

1. Pole Poster where you see the word "Pixels" - the smallest element of each digital photo - you can see it between the "No Entry" Sign and the white pillar (might have to look at the large version to notice).
   
   
2. Person in the centre of the photo - particularly his position and the shadow area of the background he fills as well his position between the foreground shadows. I also love the tattoos on his arms and legs, and the fact that he is communicating with someone using his Mobile Phone. His T-Shirt and bag have some text and logos on them. Also like how the shadow of the Bike Rack just catches his foot - I did get lucky [2] in many ways, as there is no way I could have planned all of this.
   

As you can see, many things can found in a simple photo that is captured in a fraction of a section. It is also interesting how circumstances sometime conspire to allow a photo to be taken.

I entered this photo in the 2007 Sydney Life Competition (unfortunately can't find an archive of the official page though I found a media release here). I always try each year to make an entry to the competition as it is open to all photographers, though it is virtually impossible for non-established photographers to make the final 22-26 images. Will keep trying though :-)

There is another story about this location which will come in another favourite photo at a later date.

[1] I would always say to Jenny a good photo always has a little bit of red in it and this is a theme you will see in many of my photos.

[2] Also would often tell Jenny, there was a lot of luck in taking photos (though like all things involving luck, you often make you own luck) and that if you take enough photos you are bound to end up with a few your like (i.e. keepers).

Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day - Live on Letterman

Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day - Live on Letterman
Was reminded of this song when having breakfast with friends after training a few months ago - thanks Craig. Green Day were in Sydney (see here).

Love (in a sad way - don't take this too seriously) the lyrics in this song, particularly these couple of lines:

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating

Found a Gregorian version here.

Did not know about the Oasis controversy with their song Wonderwall and the mix - Green Day and Oasis-Boulevard of Broken Dreams/Wonderwall youtube.

Me and my Shadow - "an early start for the first day of the rest of my life - 'Where do you start?' - Coffee maybe?" - 7am Wed 01 Jul 2009 (picasa)

On Architecture - John Dalton (1961) / Elizabeth Musgrave (Houses 102)

eljeiffel House - Alexandria (Sat 26 Sep 2015)

John Dalton on Architecture:

for us, life in the sun is a reality, and we who build in the sunlight sense the joy of space and light. It is our delight. The magic of shade and shadow capture our senses and direct us towards our purpose, which is to dispense comfort and happiness through useful form

via Sun and Shadow House by Elizabeth Musgrave.

Been lucky enough to have had an Architect and Builder who knows what this means. I live in the result of that intent and purpose, and I still can't believe it.

Photography - Drew Kelly (Thu 19 May 2016)

panorama - Wilpena / South Australia (Tue 12 Apr 2016)

Drew Kelly on Photography:

photography should allow you to transplant yourself to the moment it was taken

via Instagram of the Week: Candid, Vibrant Street Photos From Inside North Korea by Jenna Gattett.

This photo I made on my Phone as the sun set over Wilpena on the distant horizon near the lone tree

The panorama covers more than 180 degrees and I used the tree to hide the sun and my shadow is hidden in the shadow of the tree on the left. My Mum and Joanne are in there also.

Everything about this photo reminds me of this memorable moment so far from anywhere. A moment I will remember for a lifetime.

On Light - Rinzi Ruiz (Feb 2013)

The Wall - Berlin (Tue 09 Aug 2005)
Rinzi Ruiz (*) writes On Light (*):

Light (*) is essential to photography (*). [..]

I purposefully (*) and consciously see the light and chase it. [..]

It brought depth and mood to my images. It brought out the vivid colors (to some), and added shapes and geometry to my images. I search for light and also look for the shapes the shadows (*) make. [..]

I love (*) how light (*) reveals and how shadow (*) hides elements in the photograph.

via Chasing Light (*) by Rinzi Ruiz (*).

I have come to the same conclusion a long time ago. A great and passionate post about photography.

On Chaos and Photography - Curran Hatleberg (Jul 2013)

On the way to Gaudi's House (*) in Parc Guell (*) - Barcelona (Thu 08 Aug 2013)
Curran Hatleberg (*) writes Street Photography (*):

Public life in the street is uncontrolled and random.

This goes for all cities.

Within that chaos exists profound mystery and beauty.

It’s something you can depend on.

The flood of details and of activity envelops you.

It is vivid, voluble and generous.

There is no shortage of inexplicable arrangements that defy casual explanation, and the amazing thing is they are happening all the time!

via Something more felt than known: a conversation with Curran Hatleberg (*) at The Great Leap Sideways (*).

The shadow (*) of the tree caught my eye and I could not help myself but take this photo.

Where Truth Resides ..

The Shadow of Light - Alexandria (Jul 2014)
A Scholar writes:

there are those who talk (*), and without knowledge (*) or forethought (*) reveal a truth (*) which they themselves do not understand (*).

And there are those who have the truth (*) within them, but they tell it not in words. In the bosom of such as these the spirit dwells in rhythmic silence (*).

via And then a scholar said, “Speak of Talking.” And he... (*) by Thoughtless Hero (*).

London Bridge - You must be somewhere in London - London (Sun 28 Aug 2005)

London Bridge - "Take 2" - You must be somewhere in London - London (Sun 28 Aug 2005)
Recently wrote about the above photo here (8 Dec 2010) and here (21 Dec 2010). I have always had some regrets about the full size version of the above photo. Henri Cartier-Bresson talked about these kind of post event regrets in his book The Minds Eye, specifically here (27 Sep 2010). Decided to crop the original photo (don't tell anyone though) and the above is the result - certainly a much stronger street photo. Certainly regret not capturing this on the day. In doing this, I am reminded a recent post on Shadow Photos (02 Jul 2010), specifically the photos of the Ingeborg Tyssen.

Finally, decided to look at all the photos that I took that day and found the photo below, which I had forgotten about. Seems an obvious photo to take and the above photo clearly shows the "Bull's Eye" effect - it is almost as if the horizontal and vertical lines of the wall slabs form a "crosshair" aim right through the heart of our little dragon - and btw the photo is uncropped.

London Bridge - "Bulls Eye" - You must be somewhere in London - London (Sun 28 Aug 2005)

Evict - PACT - Railway Parade / Erskineville (31 Jul 2005)

Evict - PACT - Railway Parade / Erskineville (31 Jul 2005)
Mentioned in a recent post (Sun 20 Feb 2011) that I have often photographed this Roller Door of PACT. Typically, I use this scene to take the first photo of a new digital camera.

The above photo was one of the first photographs I took with a new Canon Powershot Pro1. It was late in the afternoon and I liked the long shadow (see here specifically) of the power pole behind and to my right. I would use this camera for all my Europe 2005 photos. It was a beautiful camera and it failed on me when we did our last walk on the main range with Jenny on the 01 Jan 2009.

Today I bought a Powershot S95 and this Roller Door was the first photo I took with it. I am a creature of habit for sure. Once I get it off the camera I will post it here.

Searching - Brooke Holm (Thu 16 Jun 2016)

tree / shadow - Vivid - Circular Quay (Tue 14 Jun 2016)

Brooke Holm on Searching:

I’m still searching for the answers, observing and documenting

via Brooke Holm · Salt and Sky by Lisa Marie Corso.

On Photography - Saul Leiter / Sam Stourdze

Shadow - Chippendale (Tue 06 Oct 2015)

Saul Leiter on Photography:

I go out to take a walk. I see something. I take a picture. I take photographs.

via Saul Leiter or the art of going unnoticed by Sam Stourdze.

On Ray K. Metzker - Michael Johnson (Sat 11 Oct 2014)

New Table and Chairs - Alexandria (*) (Sat 11 Oct 2014)
Michael Johnson (*) on Ray K. Metzer (*).:

Ray was an experimentalist with a brilliant sense of graphic composition (*) using deep shadow (*) as bold black shapes, and he was especially sensitive to repetition, minimalism and subtle variation.

via Ray K. Metzker 1931-2014 (*) by Mike Johnson (*).

Update #1 - Split / Croatia (Tue 30 Jul 2013)

Untitled #1 - Split / Croatia (Tue 30 Jul 2013)
Untitled #2 - Split / Croatia (Tue 30 Jul 2013)
Untitled #3 - Split / Croatia (Tue 30 Jul 2013)
Arrived in Split late on Monday Night from Szeged via Budapest. More than a 1000km and 13 hours on the road. A long but adventurous day.

A new camera (a Canon S110 which replaces my faulty S95 - which is just fantastic) and workflow via iPad mini and a wifi connection between the iPad Mini and camera. Getting the hang of it all very quickly. Uploaded a selection (*) to my Picasa Site (*)

Split is just beautiful. Lots of colour. Plenty of narrow lanes with light and shadow, all which the camera seems to capture in amazing detail.

On Fear - Seth Godin (Wed 04 Dec 2013)

A bit of a balancing act - Shadow - Alexandria (Wed 04 Dec 2013)
Seth Godin (*) writes On Embracing Fear (*):

It's okay to be nervous (*). Instead of fighting (*) that anxiety (*), dance (*) with it. Welcome it. Relish it. It's a sign (*) you're on to something. [..] This is important after all.

When we welcome a feeling like this, when we embrace (*) it and actually look forward (*) to it, the feeling (*) doesn't get louder and more debilitating (*). It softens, softens to the point where we can work with it.

Use your fear (*) like fuel (*).

via Trash talking important work (*) by Seth Godin (*).

London Bridge - London (Sun 28 Aug 2005)

London Bridge - London (Sun 28 Aug 2005)
Had reason recently to remember the above photo, which I took on the Southern Side of London Bridge back in 2005. Will post about the reason when I get time.

An easy photo for me to remember as I have always liked it. For a travel photo it has the obvious landmark signs, but I appreciated it because it is a good exampe of street photography and I was happy that I had seen it and acted to take the photograph quickly.

I was drawn to the lady sitting on the step on the right and the shadow of the "dragon" on the wall to the left. These two elements seemed to work together to tell an interesting visual story, if you let The Minds Eye wander a little. The blue of the Ladies Shirt as well as the blue in the top of the two left windows also worked together nicely (something I have tagged as Colour Photo Theme).

I would later find out from Eileen, that the Dragon represents one of the boundaries of the Square Mile, or the City of London and is there to protect the City, along with the others located around the City perimeter.

A bit of googling gives some useful information about the history of the Dragons (particularly the comment of lang rabbie dated 14-08-2005, 10:02).

My Mom Totally Rocks - Green - 5th Ave - New York (Sat 13 Aug 2011)

My Mom Totally Rocks - Green - 5th Ave - New York (Sat 13 Aug 2011)
Love the way the long shadows (*) run up 5th Ave (*) and split the scene this time of day. The S95 does a nice job of capturing the range of light and shadow. It is fantastic camera for travel.

Who willl? - Bill Cunningham

tree / shadow / red - an old favourite location - Erskineville (Wed 29 Jun 2016)

Bill Cunningham on Who will?:

if I didn't take them [photographs], who would?

via Bill Cunningham Made Me Feel Like a Real New Yorker by Antwaun Sargent.

It's not about the Paddle

IT’S NOT ABOUT THE BIKE – LANCE ARMSTRONG

I read the following extract to Jenny twice while she was in Hospital in June 2009. The first time was two days after the surgery to remove a 4cm brain tumor. She listened intently - like a small child being read a fairy tale - while I struggled to remain composed, as I read it to her.

Jenny - St George Private Hospital - Sun 22 Jun 2009 (picasa)
The second time was in the Intensive Care Unit at St George following her "heart failure" episode 6 days earlier (Tue 23 Jun 2009) – a day before she left us on the 30 Jun 2009 at 9:16am. I think and hope she heard me. This little story for me is the essence of the Book, a book she treasured, and ultimately it reads as a "prophecy" for what would unfold in Prague in late August 2009 for Joanne and myself - hope this makes sense .. Geoff

Jenny, Joanne and Geoff - St George ICU - Sun 28 Jun 2009 (picasa)

IT’S NOT ABOUT THE BIKE – LANCE ARMSTRONG

If there is a defining characteristic of a man as opposed to a boy, maybe it's patience. In 1995, I finally gained an understanding of the demanding nature of the Tour [de France] and all of its extraordinary tests and dangers. I finished it, and I finished strong, winning a stage in the closing days. But the knowledge came at too high a price, and I would just as soon not have learned it the way I did.

Late in the race, our Motorola teammate, Fabio Casartelli, the 1992 Olympic champion, was killed on a high-speed descent. On a descent, you ride single file, and if one rider goes down, it can cause a terrible chain reaction. Fabio didn't crash alone; 20 riders went down with him. But he hit a curb with the back of his head and fractured his neck and skull.

I went by too fast to see much. A lot of riders were down, and everybody was crouched around someone lying on the ground, but you see that sort of thing a lot in the Tour. It was only a while later that I learned via the team radio what had happened: Fabio was dead. When they tell you something like that, you almost don't believe it.

It was one of the longest days of my life. Fabio was not only the young hope of Italian cycling, he was a new husband and a new father. His baby was just a month old.

Jenny and Geoff - Cape Leveque - 9 May 2001 (picasa)
We had to keep riding, to finish the stage even though we were distraught and sick with shock. I had known Fabio since I first started racing internationally in '91. He lived right outside of Como where I kept my apartment, and we had competed against each other at the Barcelona Olympics in '92, when he won the gold medal. He was a very relaxed, fun-loving man, a little goofy, a joker. Some of the top Italians were more serious, or macho, but Fabio wasn't like that. He was all sweetness.

That night we had a Motorola team meeting to discuss whether we should keep riding or not. We were split. Half of us wanted to quit and go home and cry with our families and friends, and half of us wanted to keep riding in honor of Fabio. Personally, I wanted to stop; I simply didn't think I had the heart to ride a bike. It was the first time I had encountered death, and genuine grief, and I didn't know how to handle it. But then Fabio's wife came to see us, and she said she wanted us to keep riding, because she felt that was what Fabio would have wanted. So we sat in the grass behind the hotel, said a few prayers, and decided to stay in.

Me and my Shadow - "an early start for the first day of the rest of my life" - 7am Wed 01 Jul 2009 (picasa)
The next day the peloton rode in honor of Fabio, and gave our team a ceremonial stage victory. It was another long, terrible day— eight hours on the bike, with everybody grieving. The peloton did not race. Instead we rode in quiet formation. It was virtually a funeral procession, and at last our team rode across the finish line, while, behind us, Fabio's bike was mounted atop the support car with a black ribbon.

The following morning we began the race again in earnest, and rode into Bordeaux. Next was a stage into Limoges, and that night, Och came around to our rooms and told the team that Fabio had had two goals in the Tour: he wanted to finish the race, and he especially wanted to try to win the stage into Limoges. As soon as Och stopped speaking I knew that if Limoges was the stage Fabio had wanted to win for himself, now I wanted to win it for him, and that I was going to finish the race.

About halfway through the next day's stage, I found myself grouped with 25 guys at the front - Indurain was in the yellow leader's jersey, riding at the back. I did what came most naturally to me: I attacked.

The problem was, I attacked too early, as usual. I went with 25 miles still to go, and on a downhill portion. Two things you never do: attack early, and on a downhill. But I went so fast on that downhill that I had a 30-second lead in a finger-snap. The other riders were completely taken aback. I could feel them wondering, What's he thinking?

What was I thinking? I had looked back, and saw guys were riding along, with no particular ambition. It was a hot day, and there was no incentive to pull hard, everyone was just trying to get closer to the finish line where the tactics would play out. I glanced back, and one guy was taking a sip of water. I glanced back again. Another guy was fixing his hat. So I took off. Peoooo. I was gone.

When you have 15 other guys back there from 15 different teams, they'll never get organized. They'll look at each other and say: You pull. No, you pull! So I went, and I went faster than I'd ever ridden. It was a tactical punch in the face, and it had nothing to do with strength or ability; everything depended on the initial shock and separation. It was insane, but it worked.

IDBF Senior Mixed 500m Final - 200m to go - "The Break" - "It was insane, but it worked" – Prague/Racice - Day 4 - 29 Aug 2009
Nobody got within 55 seconds of me again. The team support car kept coming up and giving me reports. Henny Kuiper, our team director, would say, "You're thirty seconds up." Then a few minutes later he'd come alongside again and say, "You're forty-five seconds up."

When he came up the third or fourth time, I said, "Henny, don't come up here anymore. I'm not getting caught."

"Okay, okay, okay," he said, and faded behind my wheel.

I didn't get caught.

I won by a minute, and I didn't feel a moment's pain. Instead I felt something spiritual; I know that I rode with a higher purpose that day. Even though I had charged too early, I never suffered after I broke away. I would like to think that was Fabio's experience too; he simply broke away and separated from the world. There is no doubt in my mind that there were two riders on that bike. Fabio was with me.

Senior Mixed 500m Final - "Instead I felt something spiritual; I know that I rode with a higher purpose that day." Lance A - "Don't Wonder 'What If?'" Jenny P – Prague/Racice - Day 4 - 29 Aug 2009
I felt an emotion at the finish line that I've never experienced again. I felt I was winning for Fabio and his family and his baby, and for the mourning country of Italy. As I came across the line I glanced upward and I pointed to the heavens, to Fabio.

World Champs - Australian Senior Mixed 500m Team - "As I came across the line I glanced upward and I pointed to the heavens" Lance A – Prague/Racice - Day 4 - 29 Aug 2009

After the Tour, Och had a memorial built for Fabio. He commissioned a sculptor from Como to execute a work in white Carrara marble. The team flew in from all over the world, and we gathered at the top of the mountain for the placement of the memorial and the dedication ceremony. The memorial had a sundial on it that shone on three dates and times: his birthday, the day he won the Olympic Games, and the day he died.

Geoff and Joanne at Fabio’s Memorial - we stumbled upon it by complete accident – Col de Portet d'Aspet - Thu 24 Sep 2009 [1] (picasa)
I had learned what it means to ride the Tour de France. It's not about the bike. It's a metaphor for life, not only the longest race in the world but also the most exalting and heartbreaking and potentially tragic. It poses every conceivable element to the rider, and more: cold, heat, mountains, plains, ruts, flat tires, high winds, unspeakably bad luck, unthinkable beauty, yawning senselessness, and above all a great, deep self-questioning. During our lives we're faced with so many different elements as well, we experience so many setbacks, and fight such a hand-to-hand battle with failure, head down in the rain, just trying to stay upright and to have a little hope. The Tour is not just a bike race, not at all. It is a test. It tests you physically, it tests you mentally, and it even tests you morally.

I understood that now. There were no shortcuts, I realized. It took years of racing to build up the mind and body and character, until a rider had logged hundreds of races and thousands of miles of road. I wouldn't be able to win a Tour de France until I had enough iron in my legs, and lungs, and brain, and heart. Until I was a man. Fabio had been a man. I was still trying to get there.

[1] I would like to think the two shadows on the “Wings” of the Memorial represent the spirit of Jenny and her life as a twin with Joanne.. There we are, Joanne and I, counterpoised by the twin shadows of the Joanne and Jenny. Jenny overlooks us and is there with us, Always.

Jenny - "looking out over us - she inspires and guides us from above" - Geoff E - Wolfe Creek Crater, WA - 22 May 2001"

Jenny, Geoff, Joanne - St George - 22 Aug 2006