Cees van der Jagt

Biography

Cees van der Jagt – In battle with the Koppenberg

I am an independent photographer specialising in sports photography.

For me, sports photos are photos with emotion: the joy of victory, the disappointment after a loss, or the fighting spirit when the battle is not yet decided. And in this series: suffering. I made the images during the Tour of Flanders. This is the highlight of the Flemish Classics and is known in Flanders the ‘High Mass’. It rained in the afternoon and the Koppenberg slope turned out to be a big mud puddle. This was where the decision finally fell: on the extremely slippery cobbles, racing was impossible for many. As a result a true battle with the Koppenberg; trying to conquer it while sliding and walking.’