ONE FOR THE ROAD

A Love Story for Tarmac

By GripGrab Field Notes

March 1^st, 2021

"This torch that I found

Must be drowned

Or it soon might explode

So, make it one for my baby

And one more for the road

That long, long road"

As a cyclist I never anticipated that I would become a photographer, but as the years have passed I've found my cycling journeys are as much a search for a beautiful road as it is a simple ride. You could argue that I have become a Cycling Photographer, but photographically I'm really just a cyclist who happens to be shooting pictures while I'm cycling.

This love for photography was ignited through cycling, and looking back it's become clear that the image I take the most are of Roads. I count myself guilty of taking pictures of the roads I travel, and wonder why it is many cyclists take pictures of the tarmac ahead of us. Or behind us?

Tarmacadam, or simply Tarmac, is a tar-based material for macadamizing road surfaces. It was patented in 1902 and I somehow refuse to believe its invention was ever considered to be something beautiful. Let's face it, the compound itself is similar to a black hole, but for some obscure reason, it still has a certain beautiful smell to it. It may be highly poisonous to breathe in day-in-day-out, but I love the smell of Tarmac in the morning together with the beautiful contours of the landscape.

It is essentially an open invitation for exploration, and if you have never ridden the road before it is equally a mystic attraction. What is behind that next beautiful turn?

This mystic journey is what drives me ahead while on my bike, and no matter the season there is endless attraction to be found. The attraction is like a mystic woman seducing you to follow her every move. "Just follow me and I'll show you"!

Don't tell me you're not seduced?

I believe the main reason we take pictures of the roads we travel is so we can relive the moment or the feeling again. The unknown journey. That sense of freedom where you for a short while truly felt liberated as you descended a climb after all the struggles you had of going up there in the first place. That moment where you and your bike felt at one with the beautiful tarmac laid out in front of you. That's worth a re-visit, isn't it?