One of the objectives of Wheelsuckers is to showcase photography that captures the very essence
of the road cycling, both past and present. We want to include images taken by both professional
photographers and our own members that convey the very reason we are passionate about this
sport and the mutual obsession we share

This image is a case in point.

It is one we stumbled upon quite by chance and it immediately caught our eye as it is one of those
quirky shots that make you pause for thought.

Here is a rider, with his hands off the drops, arms outstretched in what appears to be some sort of
victory salute as he crosses the finish line. But there is no finish line and this is not a race. At a guess,
this is a group of friends out on a weekend ride or a early morning club run perhaps. Who knows?

So what does this cyclist appear to be celebrating?! And is his triumph real or imagined?

Maybe he has just ascended a particularly tough climb or nailed a Strava personal best and his
gesture is more to himself in recognition of his personal achievement.

Or are his hands held aloft due to a more fertile imagination? Maybe he is acknowledging the
adulation of his adoring tifosi as he clinches a stage victory in the Giro d'Italia or greeting the
expectant crowds as he enters the Roubaix velodrome?!

Come on, all of us out there who will never reach the dizzy heights of pro-cycling have, at one time
or another, imagined ourselves in the saddle of the greats.

But back to our photo though. Maybe the reason for his salute is far more mundane. It is of course,
very possible, that our cycling hero is simply moving through a succession of back stretches. Or has
he spotted the photographer on the bridge above?

But such humdrum explanations would spoil it.

This image was kindly provided by the Leicestershire based company Corporate Ascents, who
specialise in providing challenging corporate trips and events for cyclists of all abilities.

http://corporateascents.com