They fight their way up the mountain, one turn follows the next, one jersey follows the next and the first stage follows the second. And there they are, the fans who turn the Tour de France race track into a rock stage. Clapping, shouting, cheering – with both hands, with balloons, bells and instruments or simply looking silently at the sky. It is these people who make the most famous bike race in the world something very special. Since the 80s, Herman Seidl has focused on the cheering crowd, capturing moments full of joy, hope and confidence.
Photos: Herman Seidl, Dumont
Waiting for Godeau
Herman Seidl has traveled all over France, again and again, since the 80s. To capture them, the spectators of the Tour de France, eagerly awaiting their heroes and fueling their motivation with shouts and claps like a gust of wind on a campfire. Whether lowlands or high mountains, village or Parisian home stretch: the Austrian photographer was there. His recordings have resulted in a book, “Waiting for Godeau. 30 years on the roadside of the TOUR DE FRANCE”, a testimony to three decades of cycle racing that shows that no athlete fights alone.
Herman Seidl, “Waiting for Godeau. 30 years on the roadside of the TOUR DE FRANCE”, Dumont, ca. 32, hermanseidl.com
