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This is the Unsung Interview, introducing the sports stars you don’t know, telling the stories you can’t miss.
For over a century, the Tour de France has been a summer staple in the sporting calendar. Its lavender fields, epic mountain ranges, and historic chateaux have been the backdrop to some of cycling’s most iconic and controversial moments.
It’s also the most photogenic event in sport. And so in this episode, we speak to a legend behind the lens. A man who spent decades looking over his left shoulder while perched precariously on the back of a fast-moving motorbike, metres away from the likes of Eddy Merckx, Miguel Indurain, Laurent Fignon, and, of course, Lance Armstrong.
His name is Graham Watson, and he was the first English photographer to establish himself on the European cycling scene when he dared to muscle in on the Tour in the late Seventies.
We discuss blurring the lines between photographer and fan, getting a sixth sense of when a crash is about to happen, and who was the nicest guy on tour. We also tackle the murkier topic of doping, and how tainted champions have affected his business.
Graham spoke to us from his home in Nelson on New Zealand’s beautiful South Island, where he’s lived since his retirement in 2017, exactly 40 years after the Tour de France that would change his life forever.
PLEASE NOTE: This episode was recorded in mid-May, a month before the tragic death of cyclist Gino Mäder at the Tour de Suisse. We join the entire cycling community in sending our thoughts and condolences to Gino's family and friends. May he rest in peace.
If you’d like to make our jobs easier and you know of anyone with a unique perspective from behind the scenes of elite sport, get in touch with a recommendation for a potential future Unsung interview or story.
Just head to unsungpodcast.com where you can suggest a guest.
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Quotes:
“You really are in the thick of the peloton. If they are able to talk, you hear what they're saying. If they're not able to talk, then you just watch them sweating and perspiring and usually having a pretty horrible time. But you're also there when they're in good form, when they're flying down the road, leading the Tour of France in the yellow jersey. You're so close up you feel all their emotions and all their pressures and stress. It's impossible to explain to someone who's not done it, what it's like. I can't explain it properly. It's just a very special place to be."
"You have situations where a lot of them, a guy like David Miller or Lance Armstrong, the subject always comes up if you're having a coffee. Because I know I'm going to photograph them on the floor one day. And they both said, 'Graham, get the best shots you can. As much blood as we can see.'"
"My outright favourite, I would say is Miguel Indurain. He won the tour for five years in the mid-nineties and was six foot two, very statuesque, from Pamplona so very brown and bronzed, extremely lean. Physically, he was incredible. And the nice thing was that he was an absolute gentleman, you know? He had time for everybody."
"I built my business, and I wasn't going to let any of these guys [dopers] ruin it for me. So, I found a way of enjoying it, of getting over the shock and any disappointment, and just moving on. And cycling's also a sport which is very beautiful. Um, I don't just mean the scenery, I mean the beauty of riding a bicycle is a very beautiful thing."
"There are crashes which are too nasty for anyone to see. And whereas an agency photographer would see that as an absolute golden nugget and send the picture in, I would think, Nah, it's too bad."
Explore more
Graham Watson’s website and archive
Graham Watson’s Twitter
https://twitter.com/grahamwatson10
The Tweet that got Richie Porte into trouble at the 2015 Giro d’Italia
https://twitter.com/grahamwatson10/status/600693059798589440
The young Kiwi photographer Graham mentions at the end of our conversation is Harry Talbot. Here's a link to his Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/visualsofharry
Buy the book!
Unsung: Not All Heroes Wear Kits, by Alexis James
Guest: Graham Watson
Host: Alexis James
Producer: Matt Cheney
Artwork: Matt Walker
Executive Producer: Sam Barry
Mentioned in this episode:
The Unsung charity partner is leading social care charity, Community Integrated Care.
They deliver 10 million hours of care annually to people with learning disabilities, autism, mental health concerns, dementia, and complex care needs. Their revolutionary ‘Inclusive Volunteering’ model sees it partner with sporting events like the Rugby League World Cup and UEFA Women’s EURO, tackling society’s deepest inequalities and enabling thousands with complex barriers to enjoy sport. To find out how you can work with, partner with, or access their support, visit www.CommunityIntegratedCare.co.uk.
