[Leica] IMG: Vuelta de la Comunidad Valenciana 2026

[Nathan Wajsman]

Thanks, Peter. The spot I picked is between the towns of Tibi and Jijona (around 8 km between them) so not totally in the middle of nowhere. But yes, the crowds are obviously much thinner than at the finish or during the big race in August/September, Vuelta a España. 

Generally, when photographing cycling, I avoid flat stages for the reason you mention—you stand around waiting for a long time only to see the peleton flash by in 30 seconds. I always choose a mountain pass, preferably in the late part of the stage. At that point there are several small groups and there can be a significant time interval between the leaders and the laggards. Yesterday’s stage was 158 km of which the first 100 were flat (from Orihuela to the beginning of the climb to Jijona), followed by some up and downs. So the peleton was not as shattered as would be the case in a real mountain stage, but still, when I look at the time stamps of the photos, there were more than 7 minutes between the leaders and the “lanterne rouge”.

Cheers,
Nathan

Nathan Wajsman
photo at frozenlight.eu

http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws
http://www.greatpix.eu
http://www.frozenlight.eu
@nwajsman.bsky.social

Слава Україні! Героям слава!







> On 7 Feb 2026, at 13:18, Peter Dzwig <pdzwig at summaventures.com> wrote:
> 
> Nice photos, Nathan. You've done a great job of capturing the riders and their fatigue. Thanks for the captions; I always find the team names very strange!
> 
> I've tried to shoot the Tour de France, the Olympic race (well, the course passed the garden door) and the Tour de Yorkshire and have little success in getting satisfactory shots. Things are over in a flash, particularly on Le Tour. When they pass by there,  they are usually heading up Mont Ventoux and there is no way that I could get near the top there. You have to be there from dawn, literally, it gets so busy!!
> 
> What I find fascinating is the crowds, even in the middle of nowhere.
> 
> All the best,
> 
> Peter
> 
> On 07/02/2026 09:35, Nathan Wajsman via LUG wrote:
>> While northern Europe is in the grip of winter, here in southern Spain spring is rapidly approaching. Since early January, I have encountered the professional cycling teams training on the mountain roads around here, and this week the first proper race of the season is on, a 5-day Vuelta de la Comunidad Valenciana. Yesterday was the third stage, starting in Orihuela south of Alicante, going through the city and then finishing in the mountains above Alicante—my own playground. Yesterday, I left work early and drove to the highest point of the stage, Puerto de Tibi, where the riders would arrive with more than 120 km in their legs and after a 5 km climb at 7% average grade.
>> I like to photograph cycling, because in no other sport can you get so close to the athletes. And I always try to find a spot at the end of a long climb. At that point the peleton is broken into several smaller groups, and the speed is slower, so it is easier to focus. The Vuelta de la Comunidad Valenciana is not a race that attracts the very top riders like Vingegaard or Pogacar but this year’s edition does have the third-best cyclist in the world, Remco Evenpoel. Going into today’s 4th (and penultimate) stage, he is in 6th place, just 9 seconds behind the leader Biniam Girmay from Eritrea, the only African cyclist on the pro circuit.
>> A small gallery is here:
>> https://www.greatpix.eu/Vuelta-de-la-Comunidad-Valenciana-2026
>> As always, comments and critique are welcome and appreciated.
>> Nathan
>> Nathan Wajsman
>> photo at frozenlight.eu
>> http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws
>> http://www.greatpix.eu
>> http://www.frozenlight.eu
>> @nwajsman.bsky.social
>> Слава Україні! Героям слава!
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> 
> -- 
> Dr. Peter Dzwig
> 
> 
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