You may think the last thing an elite cyclist, who just conquered a 366km ride, wants to do is talk to people.
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But as the athletes competing in the UCI world titles hopped off their bikes and entered the frenzied media tent on Harbour Street, most happily shared all.
The Wollongong 2022 media zone was abuzz with cyclists who just completed the distance they trained so hard for, as well as journalists from across the globe hungry to know the details.
And Illawarra man Peter Riley was in the thick of it - helping keep it all under control. As a TAFE NSW emergency management teacher and former ABC emergency coordinator, he was the perfect fit for the job.
Mr Riley said the most heartening part of managing the media zone was the cyclist's reactions to the crowds of thousands who lined the streets to cheer them on.
He choked up when he spoke about it.
"On the Saturday and Sunday after we asked the riders how they went ... they just said how wonderful it was to have the crowd cheer them on," Mr Riley said.
"One of the dutch riders had goosebumps on her arms because the crowd was just going off for her.
"It was fantastic to have them all and to have them love the work that was put in by so many."
His job was to funnel the riders through the media zone, and connect them with journalists - ranging from our very own at the Mercury to those from across the globe.
And it was no small feat.
"The mixed zone was really quite intense for certain periods of the day," Mr Riley said.
"When the peloton finished, it was frenetic and people were all over the place, parked up five to six rows deep along the whole of the 100-metre tent.
"We had to ensure people were able to get photos they needed, so that every organisation had a great piece of UCI."
Read more: How the men's elite race looked from the sky
But the most important part of the role for Mr Riley was ensuring Wollongong's beauty shone in the countless media broadcasts.
"That's why I volunteered - I wanted to see Wollongong showcased to the world," he said.
"And by being able to ensure the media had access to the athletes as soon as they could ... I was doing my bit as a volunteer to make that happen."
And on the big screen, our region looked better than ever, he said.
As the race was broadcast, vision cut to show the winding Sea Cliff Bridge, and even whales breaching in the sparkling ocean.
"The vision I saw from the tent was spectacular," Mr Riley said.
"We had monitors on in the mixed zone so the media could actually keep track of what was happening on the race route.
"The camera angles they shot from the helicopter were things we'd just never seen before."
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Grace Crivellaro
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
