One recent subsection of Fergus’ ongoing project is Moonrakers and Sunseekers, named after an overnight 300 km Audax that takes place each year. Riders leave Bristol at 10pm, make their way south to Bournemouth, then Poole Harbour where they stop off at Lilliput Sea Scouts control for basic food, rest and to have their brevet card stamped.

It was at this rest point that Fergus stationed himself between the hours of 2-7am, photographing riders who came through. “It’s a strange time to be awake and I was interested to see how that might affect the interaction between photographer and sitter,” Fergus says. “When riding at night, you’re acutely focussed on a small pool of light emitted in front of the bike, reading the road and watching out for dangers such as potholes.” It’s this intensity that Fergus sees translating into the images – palpable in the riders’ eyes as their portraits are taken, staring into the camera, or in some cases beyond, and the atmosphere of the sparse blue-and-white harbour setting. “There’s a monastic silence, broken only by the sound of cutlery against plates and cycling shoes tapping in and out of the door.”

During the shoot Fergus encountered a few “celebrities” within the Audax community who were “hailed for quietly and consistently putting in the miles”. Like Dai – one of the few cyclists with a large smile on his face in his portrait. Known for his heavily laden fixed gear and broad Welsh accent, one significant detail of his portrait (and something Fergus sees as setting him apart from road cyclists) is the fact he’s wearing two Paris Brest jerseys from separate years on top of each other. Fergus also has a soft spot for Zlatamira’s portrait. It was the last photo in a roll of film and she blinked, but the resulting image is one that resonates, as “a serene, meditative moment before she continued on into the early hours”.