This year I followed the Jayco Herald Sun Tour, however not in the same way I normally would... I replaced my Credit Agricole jersey with a Media Bib, and what an eye opener it was.
I was working mostly with the TV guys. My job each day was to do a stage preview and give a prediction on some of the team tactics we might see and who the potential winners could be. To be honest with you, for the first couple of stages I found this really tough, it is completely different to doing interviews or even public speaking. I was really fortunate to have a very patient cameraman and producer who were there to give me plenty of help and advice. By the end of the week I was starting to get the hang of it, and feeling a lot more comfortable in front of the camera.
Interviewing my peers was a challenge but on the other hand I found it ok as I knew the right questions to ask them… and only some of them gave me a hard time.
Working with the media was a great experience, and something I would seriously consider pursuing following my cycling career. However for the moment I think I'll stick to racing my bike and leave the reporting to the professionals.
Simon.
