My friend at the finish I would describe Ian, part of the “Dream Time Team” of Ulster races and beyond. Met Ian for the first time at the Tour of Ulster when the HQ was in Omagh around 2008 or 2009, he was helping out with the Nugents who organised the TOU at that time …, we shared since then a lot of weekends at different locations and different stage races, in more recent times we work nearly every weekend together at the finish of races, Ian as finish line photographer and myself as a commentator or taking shots, a valuable friend to have at such moment, and getting the evidence of tight results. His finish line photos many times have been studied by the judges to announce the winner, as you will see in the photos why. Ian another unsung volunteer, who give our races here a more professional outlook with the Time Team. But let Ian have the last word “Hi, Dany and thanks for the invite. To say I am a photographer might be a stretch, truth be told I very rarely have the time our opportunity to compose let alone take a picture of anything head-on. Over 15 years ago a very young timekeeper who you may know as Brian Nugent noticed my fondness for cameras and said he had a job for me helping out at a race. From that point on I was hooked, not on cycling I hadn’t been on a bike in years, no I was more interested in how to use my cameras to capture the riders on the line and get a quick and accurate result. Thanks in no small part to Seamus Shortall for showing me the ropes and Gordon Parker for teaching me the art of timekeeping I have found myself doing results for clubs all over the country, wish I could name you all. These pictures will not be like the well-composed shots from the professionals, I thought I would use this opportunity to show you some of my close finishes and give the riders a chance to see what we see, Stay Safe, Ian” Please credit Ian if you share this photos on social media, thank you Dany (feature photo BP Media)
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