{"id":2802,"date":"2017-05-23T18:07:45","date_gmt":"2017-05-23T09:07:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2017-05-23\/2802"},"modified":"2017-05-23T18:07:45","modified_gmt":"2017-05-23T09:07:45","slug":"volunteering-at-the-tour-of-japan-pro-cycling-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2017-05-23\/2802","title":{"rendered":"Volunteering at the Tour of Japan Pro Cycling Race"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 50mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nPeloton Flying By<\/span>\nStage 2 (Kyoto) of the Tour of Japan<\/i>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

The second stage of the eight-stage Tour of Japan<\/a> was held yesterday in southern Kyoto\nPrefecture, a ways<\/span> south of Kyoto City. I was a<\/span> volunteer to help in crowd management, as part of an effort to supplement the\nvarious civic and government groups with cycling-specific knowledge (e.g. to be able to foresee what lines the cyclists would\ntake, to predict where spectators would be especially dangerous, etc.)<\/p>\n\n

I wasn't there to spectate or take photos, but I could<\/span> do both when I\nwasn't<\/span> otherwise occupied. It's my second<\/span> cycling race to see live, the first having been amateur races in March<\/a>. This time the racers were professional.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/5, ISO 200 —\nimage data<\/a><\/span>\nPreparation<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nStarting Area<\/span>\nquiet, an hour and a half before the start\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nChance Meeting<\/span>\nNoriko Okabe, whom we last saw on this post<\/a>, rode by\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nPracticing Their Routine<\/span>\ntheir shirts spell “<\/span>Allez!”<\/span> (cycling for “<\/span>Go!”<\/span>)\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

There's a preschool right next to the start line, and the kids were to perform for the racers just prior to the start.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 28mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/5, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n“<\/span>Welcome to the TOJ Kyoto Stage”<\/span><\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

Among the various cars and motorcycles lining up for the start ahead of the athletes is this signboard motorcycle. If a cyclist<\/span> or a small<\/span> group breaks away ahead of the pack, she lets them know how\nfar ahead they are (in seconds) via the signboard.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 75mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>200 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nCelebrity<\/span>\nthis UCI<\/a> staff with a German<\/span> accent was popular\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 54mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nPhoto Op<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nPanasonic LX100 at an effective 70mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nPre-Start Performance<\/span>\nthe cyclists are all lined up in front of the kids\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

The race was 6½ times around a 15km<\/span> (9mi) loop, though actual racing didn't start until a few<\/span> miles\nafter they left the starting area. Prior to that, everyone just rolls along behind the race-commissioner's car,\nuntil he replaces a red<\/span> flag with a green<\/span> one and zooms ahead out of the way.<\/p>\n\n

Eventually the cyclists completed the loop and raced by for the first of six times they would pass the general area where I was<\/span> stationed.<\/p>\n\n

Where I was stationed was at the end of a long,<\/span> lovely descent<\/a>\nduring which they fly at impressive speeds, but that's petered out quite a bit<\/span> by the time they get to where I was<\/span> standing,\njust before a sharp<\/span> 90\u00b0 bend.<\/p>\n\n

The first time they came by, I took a short<\/span> video via “<\/span>Facebook\nLive”<\/span>, but it came out sideways because I held<\/span> the camera properly and\nFacebook requires it to be held in the wrong orientation. Converting to YouTube, I could<\/span> rotate the\nlow-quality Facebook video:<\/p>\n\n