TADEJ POGAČAR ‹ Giro d'Italia 2024 - Stage 15 › 📸 by leon_van_bon & eloisemavian 🎥 by ettore.bordignon
I arrived pretty early at the final climb, giving me some time to explore the mountain. My expectations were high, but the initial part was somewhat dull, and the cloud cover wasn’t helping. However, I was in a great mood all day and had a feeling something exciting was about to happen. As I walked up to the start of the fences, 1200 meters from the finish, I still had no clear plan. Then Eloise (@eloisemavian) mentioned that some friends had told her ski jumpers were planning to jump over the riders. Naturally, I was intrigued.
We walked up to the 1km mark where the ski jumpers were practicing. I realized this could be something special. I spoke with the coordinator to understand the plan. At that point, Quintana was in the lead, meaning they would jump over him—not ideal, but still very cool. Following the race through an app, I saw Pogi attacking and quickly closing the gap. It would be amazing if he could pass through first!
I asked the coordinator how they planned to time the jump. He was unsure of the best approach. I calculated that in the time it took for the jumpers to come down, Pogi would cover 30 meters. I measured the distance and coordinated the timing with the jumpers. It was crucial to stick to the plan, and Pogi's speed was an educated guess. As excitement built, it became clear that Pogi would be first at this spot. The crowd, sensing the thrill of the moment, got involved as well.
Just as Pogi was approaching, a spectator walked onto the track where the skiers were set to come down. Oh no... would this ruin everything? Everyone started yelling at him to move. After a few tense seconds (which felt like forever), he finally understood and got out of the way. I was ready. I knew where the jumpers would fly and where Pogi would be. Everything was set.
You can see the result in the photo. I'm thrilled and ecstatic. It was an incredible feeling to pull this off despite the potential for so many things to go wrong. While more photographers were initially at this spot, most left because the banners weren't the best background. I'm so glad I stayed, and Eloise was there too—check out her picture as well. Only two race photographers were present, making it even more special. I'm still smiling. What a moment, one I'll never forget. One will probaly never happen again.
(via Léon van Bon instagram photo channel)
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