Book Title: DNF – Dienstreise nach Frankreich
Authors: Lars Wehrmann (photography), Sebastian Paddags (text)
Publisher: Wandnotiz Verlag
Format: 140 pages, softcover
Release Date: 2023
Language: German
Available at: wandnotiz.de
About Sebastian Paddags:
Sebastian Paddags is a former competitive cyclist, political scientist, and writer. He works at the intersection of communication and sports and often reflects on the cultural, political, and personal dimensions of endurance sports in his writing.
Sometimes a good story begins with a phone call. In this case, it was two. Both Sebastian Paddags and I were contacted by Tissot – the official timekeeper of the Tour de France – independently of each other, but with the same objective: to work for the sponsor of the Tour, right in the heart of the action, away from the race course, yet very much part of it.
From that collaboration grew a unique connection – and eventually a joint project: DNF – A Business Trip to France. What began as an assignment quickly turned into a journey on many levels: observation, encounters, reflection.
Sebastian, a former cyclist himself, was on the road as a driver for Tissot’s project manager. I was there with my camera – always looking for what happens in between the obvious moments. The result is a deeply personal book that doesn’t just tell what happened, but also how it felt.
In cycling, DNF stands for “Did Not Finish.” But this book is very intentionally not about failure – it’s a quiet echo: of heat, hotel rooms, rural roads, the rhythm of everyday French life, and the massive caravan that travels with the Tour de France.
👉 See the book:
DNF – Dienstreise nach Frankreich on wandnotiz.de
And because words aren’t always enough, I’ve curated a selection of images from that time in my gallery. Perhaps they capture a part of the journey – as I experienced it: spontaneous, unplanned, and intense.
