Quote:
Originally Posted by Everard
I think we need to accept that the Golden Age of WNBR is now firmly behind us.
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Interesting thread. 2017 was my first WNBR. I really enjoyed the experience and have no problem being photographed by respectful photographers (lots of my pics have been posted here - I'm 'real person' and 'VIP'). Flickr is great as I'm usually tagged there (by somebody) which I prefer as it enables me to keep a record of photos of myself. And I'm grateful for some of the great photos that I have had taken of myself.
London was particularly uncomfortable however. I started at Hyde Park and the scrum of photographers was pretty full-on. Some literally jumped in front of me and got run over (by the many riders). You can generally see from my expression where somebody has leapt out from behind a tree in order to take a pic. I think this kind of behaviour is unfortunate and will definitely put off potential (female) newbies...and in general it is the women who are targeted in this way. As far as I'm concerned there is no need for this to happen as if I'm asked politely by a photographer if they can take my pic I would be happy to oblige - and in general (from my experience) most other female riders feel the same way. There are 1000s of photographers taking pics along the routes so anybody taking part does so with the knowledge that they're going to get snapped (unless they're incredibly naive).
The other potential issue that I can see that may be turning people off from taking part in the WNBR is what happens to the images once they are processed and ready to be revealed to the world. I love to show off my pics but not everybody feels the same way. Anybody taking part must realistically accept that images will appear online (hence disguises perhaps for some) but I think sometimes things get a bit out of hand and the potential implications could prove too much for some. The prospect of trying to establish true identities and inappropriate commentary are things that potential WNBR riders never quite anticipated when they signed up to participate. If images were merely viewed, shared and appreciated without all of the weird stuff I'm sure a LOT more people (female riders) would be happier to participate.
My experience has been fantastically positive and I appreciate the support but I am perhaps coming from a different place where I love to be photographed and love to have people see the results...respect, politeness and general decency is all I ask for.