George Hincapie, Post-Crash. Sacramento, California. May 16, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

BMC team rider George Hincapie makes his way to the finish line after crashing near the end of stage one of the 2010 Amgen Tour of California professional bicycle race.

In the companion post to this photograph I mentioned the cycling concept of “suffering” – something that cyclists say that serious riders must come to know intimately. The suffering can take many forms: climbing a hill until the legs burn and the rider can’t see straight; pushing for long periods into strong headwinds; getting dropped and chasing to catch the group; crashing.

The other photograph I posted of Hincapie was shot on this same day, but hours earlier and over 100 miles away… before the start of the race. Here, Hincapie has just gotten up from a fairly serious crash on the final lap of the stage in Sacramento – I hear that he went down on his back and hit his head. After the lead group had crossed the finish line he slowly approached the end of the race, riding next to the medical support car and having a conversation with the occupants. The road dirt and ripped clothing from the crash are visible. For a moment he stopped. Then he started again, staring blankly ahead as he barely turned the pedals enough to move the bike slowly toward the finish line, but clearly determined to finish the stage so that he could continue the next day.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM at 400mm
ISO 800, f/11, 1/320 second

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