August 11, 2008 - With the exception of an Olympic year, the humble cycling photographer tends to count the passing years by how many Tours de France he or she has covered - and I'm now up to 28. But this being the year of the Beijing Olympics, it's hard not to be distracted in my mathematics by the realisation that 2008 marks my fifth summer Olympic Games as an accredited photographer. Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney, Athens, and now Beijing - that a sizeable chunk of one's life to reflect on! Of course, just as a few photographers have clocked up more than 30 years on the Tour - although there are probably just two or three - so have many photographers or journalists seen many far Olympic Games than me. Some even have double my five, because they also cover the winter Olympics. Still, with such a backdrop of colourful Olympic cities to draw my experiences from, I'm in reasonable shape to offer some early conclusions about Beijing, most specifically its suitability to be an Olympic host.

The first thing one notices is that it doesn't really feel like we are in China, the most powerful and influential communist nation in the world. That's partly because we are in the capital city, a vastly different China to the rest of the country, and one that has modernised itself beyond belief, according to the few westerners amongst us who visited Beijing when it was called Peking not so many years ago. I suppose it is a bit like being in Paris but not seeing or knowing real France, or in New York and not seeing or knowing real America. Except that China is considered the most mysterious of any 'civilized' nation known to man. As we take the media bus across the city to the start of the road races at YongDingmen, it feels like we could be in Madrid, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Bogota, or Mexico City, for the four-lane highways that criss-cross the city are lined on both sides by ultra-modern skyscrapers that house some of the world's greatest corporations, or some of the most prestigious hotels. At first sight, it does not look a likely place to host an Olympic Games bike-race!

Only by talking to some of the most experienced cyclists in the Games - Australia's Michael Rogers or America's George Hincapie, for example - does one get to hear what the cyclists think of racing in such an unlikely environment. After all, with thick clouds of pure humidity (not smog - despite what people say) it hardly seems like ideal conditions for those guys. Yet I have not heard a bad word about Beijing, China, or the Chinese from anyone since I arrived here last week - and, no, it is not because they've been censored! Even though my close-up contact with the cyclists is at a bare minimum here, I know each and every one of them well enough to be able exchange a few short words and still get the full story. In many cases, their stern faces reveal more than words - for almost every 'professional' cyclist here in Beijing is highly respectful of the Olympics and its so-glorious history, and they have come here to do a job, do it well, and make their nations proud of what they have tried to achieve - regardless of the conditions which, after all, affect everyone the same.

The Olympics is quite a challenge for a photographer, even one such as me who concentrates on just one sport. I'm used to having my own transport, both to get to the race in my car, as well as travel in it on a motorbike. Waiting for buses, albeit ones that run on time and travel in exclusive 'fast lanes' between venues, is a bit of a chore. And trying to direct, bully, or cajole my moto-driver to go where I want him to in the race is even harder still - for I forgot to learn Chinese last winter! If it wasn't such a serious problem, having a driver who hasn't got a clue about cycling, or the 'rules of the road', as we know it in European races - nor seems to have the intelligence to learn 'on the day' - could be quite an entertaining time. Not in the Olympics it's not. Being on a moto in the 'Games is quite a privileged position, for just three bikes are allowed to follow the races. One moto is for the Chinese national press agency, while another is for the 'Olympic Pool' - a reference to the world's greatest press agencies like Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Reuters, and Getty Images who delegate one photographer to work from the motorbike for all the agencies. A third moto is given to the International Federation, in this case the UCI. That's how I got to be so close to the action last weekend, the only negative aspect being that I have to 'pool' my images with other cycling photographers, which is how some of my images end up on other photographers' web-sites.

One of the great treats of being an accredited photographer at the 'Games is that you get your cameras cleaned, serviced or repaired for free! Both Canon and Nikon have service-shops in the main press centre, and as well as servicing your own camera in a matter of hours, they also loan you equipment to try out. It hasn't gone unnoticed that there are fewer and fewer photographers using Canon equipment these days. A fundamental problem with the last-generation Canon camera coincided with the arrival of the revolutionary Nikon D3 last January, at which point many thousands of Canon users switched over. It means it has been harder to borrow Nikon equipment here in Beijing, but it is a pleasure to see Nikon back on top after several decades in second-place. One of the key features is the 'Active D-Lighting', a brilliant asset when the light goes down on you at a bike-race, or when the action in a velodrome can only be photographed using available light - no flash-gun photography is allowed in the Olympics. That Active D-Lighting came in handy for me at the Women's road race - I was shooting at 3200 asa, yet there is no sign of 'noise' or colour imbalance in my images.

Despite getting soaked through, I really enjoyed Sunday's event at The Great Wall. Some people often criticise me for not shooting women's' cycling more often, but of course my schedule never allows for this. Sunday had it all for the photographer - historical Beijing, then two hours of torrential rain under dark, heavy skies, and a brilliant race. It has to be said women's racing is often dull - there, I just said it! But throw in the added ingredients of three-rider teams, cold, wet weather and a few nasty descents; you have the perfect scenario for a great race with great photography - and a great winner in Nicole Cooke. It was nice to see the strongest cyclist in the race actually win - it doesn't always work out like that. Saturday's race was something of an anti-climax, for the course was nowhere near difficult enough for the strongest man to win. It was a thrilling finale, of course, and professional cycling has its own little quirks and tactics, but wouldn't it have been nicer to see the likes of Valverde, Evans and Bettini sprinting for victory instead of their lieutenants? Of course, only the strongest cyclists can win the midweek time trials here, so I cannot wait for the next phase of the 'Games to begin, as well as the track-racing next weekend - bring on the British gold medallists!

I for one believe it is great that the Olympics have come to Beijing, The near-perfect level of organisation, and intensity of the competitions so far, are proof that this Games will be declared a success, maybe even by this nation's greatest detractors. The opening ceremony was quite simply astonishing, and portrayed modern-day China as a highly creative, innovative, and cultural champion to be envied by many other nations - not least London, hosts of the next Olympics in 2012, who must be dreading the challenge of finding an opening ceremony as spectacular as Beijing's! If there is one negative observation to be made, it is in the area of feeding and replenishing the diets of us westerners here. Six days into my visit, I'm still dependent on fast-food, Asian-based cuisine, either in the main press centre or in my media village. And the only wine available is Chinese, to which it has to be said, I'm becoming quite fond of. Mind you, I know I am doing far better than the beer-loving cyclists who raced in last weekend's events - in the impressive athlete's village; there is absolutely no alcohol available. Then again, they get to eat thick, juicy, steaks if they want them…

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