Santa Vall 2026: Bike racing in hell, photographed from heaven
A heavy drizzle set the tone for my first attempt at capturing gravel racing.
Harry Talbot
I could hear the rain tapping on the window, and for me it was oddly uplifting—likely the only person in Girona who felt that way on Friday afternoon before Santa Vall, a race I wouldn’t have even known about until recently. I earn my keep shooting the road racing calendar and I genuinely love those events. Gravel racing, on the other hand, has often felt dismissed by me in the past, almost looked down upon—watching riders churn through peanut-butter mud in rural Kansas while I stood roadside in the Dolomites waiting for WorldTour stars to pass at the Giro d’Italia. Why would I want to shoot gravel, right?
If you’re in the same boat, you might not realize that Santa Vall is a two-stage event—the kickoff round of the Gravel Earth Series—held over a Saturday and a Sunday. It showcases the rugged, technical, steep, yet stunning gravel around Girona, Spain. Would I have said yes to covering it a few weeks earlier? Honestly, not really. The field felt small—no flashy WorldTour kits, limited spectators, unfamiliar racers, and trails I hadn’t trekked before.
Behind the lens: shooting the Finestre
One of cycling’s most legendary climbs left a lasting impression on one of the sport’s photographers.
Escape Collective — Harry Talbot
I hoped for dry dust—the kind that makes for striking images—and I expected mud and rain, which I ended up getting in abundance. It felt exhilarating, like photographing the 2021 Paris-Roubaix when Sonny Colbrelli triumphed; unfortunately, I wasn’t behind my camera then. It’s a reminder that you don’t always need marquee WorldTour names to capture compelling photos. Instagram had subtly shaped my expectations, and this event reminded me to trust the moment in front of me.
So, why did I title this piece Bike racing in hell – photographing in heaven? Here’s the reasoning.
Did we deliver a strong story?
Culture Santa Vall Gravel Earth Series Gravel
Note: This rewrite preserves the original sequence and key information while rephrasing for clarity and flow. It adds a touch of expansion in the explanations and provides a more beginner-friendly framing of what Santa Vall is and why the author’s perspective shifted. If you’d like, I can tailor the tone further (more formal, more casual, or more journalistic) or adjust the balance between race details and photographer insights.
