Legends of the Lycra pack
As London's streets become a dizzy flash of Lycra and tanned limbs during tomorrow's Tour de France, look out for the legendary Flandrien. Off-track, these Flemish-Belgian cyclists from the post-industrial lowlands, trained on cobbled roads under freezing rain, are also the subjects of an exhibition by the Flemish photojournalist Stephan Vanfleteren.
His stark black-and-white images celebrate the endurance of the Flandrien celebrities, headed by Eddy Merckx. Five-times winner of the Tour and now retired, Merckx poses in his winning 1970s jersey, staring defiantly into the camera under a natty cap bearing his name, his face etched over decades by the elements, his skin softened by the rains.
The background to these lives is exposed by Vanfleteren through incongruously poetic landscapes bisected by straight roads and veiled in mist and rain. They intrigue even someone with no interest in cycling.
That cycling is a way of life is epitomised in scenes of an old lady riding into rain across a straight road which doubles as a race track, the old couples and young families lining the roads on race days, and a farmer wearing a shirt and cycling shorts, watching nostalgically as young racers flash past him. In bars, captivated locals stare at a television.
This is a tender, intimate show about a tough, passionate community.
Exhibition is on until 31 July (020 7253 2770).
Flandrien: Hard Men And Heroes
HOST Gallery
Honduras Street, EC1Y 0TH
