I remember my first time like it was yesterday, it wasn't, it was at the bottom of Bray Hill, it left a lasting memory, no videos can ever prepare you for the real thing. Steve
Nobs like that with selfie-sticks were a big problem this year (along with parents sitting their kids atop recticel fencing for a better view... yes really). We all take pictures but the amount of bloody camera phones and people's obsession with viewing everything through their mobile really became irritating. For the Senior. I was up at the Bungalow by 0830 to get my spot, and became very irritable when some loudmouthed American millennials with SLRs barged their way in front of me during the race itself so that they could take photos, they couldn't have been less arsed about the racing and only wanted a picture for their social media brag-rights. Eventually they needed to be told to go and sling their hooks (which itself required some explaining) as they would not STFU. I wouldn't have minded if they'd have even known how to work their dSLRs, but the basics of photography seemed to elude them. They didn't have a clue who any of the racers were, which race they were watching and were perplexed by how someone could be leading on the road and in third position... nothing against Americans per se, but this lot were properly stupid. I have no clue why they were there, seemingly more enchanted by the "badass Civic" course cars and getting a photo of the racers with the helicopter than the racing. Fools. BTW: without the aid of a fancy dSLR I was still able to get a shot of Dean and chopper with my phone ... I was going to tell them about burst shots but it was funnier watching them under/over expose and miss every bike that went by... bulb setting indeed.
