New Toys!

After suffering through my first weekend without lifting a camera I decided to do some upgrades.  Thanks in part to the photo sales this past year I parted with my trusty Tamron 70-200/2.8:.
I really loved that lens but it just was not focusing fast enough. Hopefully this will  increase my 'keepers' by getting the Sony 70-200/2.8 G, SSM lens.
I used it once and was pretty impressed with the increase in focus speed.  Lets see what Christmas brings.....

Last one this year.

Its been a great journey...from my first photoshoot of the season at Memorial Day's Bloomsburg Town Park Crit  ,
When I was up early and decided to do something different with my weekend, until yesterday's Rockville Cyclocross Classic

I have been thrilled every weekend to watch you race all over the East Coast.

I have photographed pro races that represent the pinnacle of our sport:  .

To the local races held out in Mudville, where the only reward is getting your name posted on the internet.

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Each and every weekend I watched you do something special.  Not everybody is willing to invest the time, effort, and expense to push their bodies past their perceived limits to race a bike.  Yes we are a fringe sport.  Everybody understands what is means to play softball (drink beer, hit ball, run, drink beer) but how many non devotees to cycling truly understand what it means to ride fast.
I can't wait until next year.  Hopefully with the experience I have gained this past season I'll be able to capture better images of what you all do best, no matter where you place, you do something special every time you hop on a bike.  Thanks for a fantastic season!

Winding Down

I looked at the calender.  Ya, Christmas is coming soon, but the big one for me is there is only two more weekends of bike racing this year.  Even though I did not race, this has been one of the best years I have had in recent memories.  Instead of doing yard work or couch surfing, I WAS DOING SOMETHING.  Just walking around the race courses taking photos of all these local athletes has inspired me.  Next year I'm going to definitely step it up a notch and try some races.  Even if I finish DFL there will still be a smile.
This weeks journey took me in the vicinity of Fort Meade.  One of my old stomping grounds when acitive duty AF.  Although plans were made to stay down there and photograph both days of the Howard County Double Cross the honeydew list got the best of me.  At least half a loaf is better than none.  Shoot on Saturday, Paint on Sunday..at least its done.
Saturday's course was deceptively brutal.  One of the barrier runs was placed on a steep hill that few would have ridden it without the barriers.

  It had rained a few days before so the mud was still fresh for the racers.

 
Oh and you gotta try these pies if they ever show up at a race near you:
Yup they are Dangerous, to your waist....excellent recovery carbo load if you race.
Ok gotta clean up the paint on the floor.  Until next week thanks for hanging with me.  I'll definitely be at the MABRA cross because it's almost in my back yard.  If the wife has no plans I may shoot PA championship but I have not made any definite plans for that one.   If the Carlisle Cross goes on that will be it for the year.  Long nights on the trainer and maybe taking a Photoshop class will keep me busy until March.

Back in the Saddle, sort of

Until this weekend I had not realized how addicted I had become to photographing bike races.  For the past couple of weeks other obligations had kept me from running all over the East Coast.  Anyway the season's almost over but at least until this season's final race I'm able to go out and do what I like best.  Capturing the PAIN!  Also I sprung for an iPhone this week.  Mostly because there is an application that will let me Geocode the images so you can see the exact exact spot (within 150 feet) of where the image was captured.  Look for this new feature debuting this weekend.

Mud and Cowbells

While most of the East Coast stayed indoors or went to the mall (I know about that one after the race I went to King of Prussia, it was packed) there were a small niche group of athletes practicing their trade in the rain and mud.  This is my first season shooting cyclocross but this weekend conjured up memories of old cycling magazines with the Belgian crossers' covered in mud and poop while racing on the farmer's cow pasture just outside of town.  Classic cross weather is the best way to describe it.
The first stop of the weekend was Granogue, Delaware.  Its one of the DuPont properties between Wilmington and West Chester. 
I did not expect a big turnout.  The weather would keep most home, I thought.  WRONG!  All the fields were full.  The only thing that kept the racers from the finish line was all the mechanical failures due to the mud.  Derailleurs were getting ripped off frames on every muddy lap.  Almost every lap bunches of racers were crashing on the muddy off camber at the top of the hill. 
But still they kept smiling....

Next stop Wissahickon.  The weather had improved a bit.  But the course was still muddy.  The main features on this course were the short barrier run up. And the horse jumping pit.   
I gotta admit that I'm so looking forward to next season to share the pain. 
I'm out for a couple of weeks to spend time with family.  But I'm looking forward to picking things up again in November.

Commute

I usually don't commute to work on Tuesday.  It's partially because I used to try to do the group rides out of Mechanicsburg.  But mostly it's because Tuesday's a big meeting day and it's also laundry night. Dirty laundry from Friday and Monday goes home and  in come clean clothes for the rest of the week.  But since I had yesterday off and only did an indoor workout, it was time to break from tradition.  While coming home I started thinking about bikes.  Some of us are lucky to have a lot of nice things in this world, but the one thing that's special to me is a bike.  Now, its not about snob brand name or anything like that.  It's the fact that I do ride and ride often that makes me or any serious rider special.  Most people at work don't  know I ride.  I get there before most of them have breakfast and sometimes leave after a majority of them have gone home.  The only way most know I commute is when they stop by my cubicle and see this parked in the corner:
When I see them look at the bike I know its something special.

Bike Ride

I was thinking about going up to Micheaux to watch the riders come in as Iron Cross finished up today.  But alas the spirit was willing but the legs were weak.  I was coming up on the first climb after Mount Holly springs but just totally bonked.  At least I got out and had a good three hours.  Going to recover for a bit then wash and wax the car.  After traveling all over Southern PA and Northern MD for the past several weeks my Subie deserves a good bath.  

This bridge has been closed for the past five years.  What is up with that?

I passed by the South Mountain Drag strip.  It sort of piqued my curisoty to maybe try taking some photos of the muscle cars.  Maybe one of these weekends....


On the way back I stopped off in Boiling Springs just to stretch my legs.  I felt that bad!
Today I rode the Tuscany, maybe because its bars are set flatter than my usual bike a Litespeed Sienna it changed something to make me bonk.  Oh well it was time out on my bike.  Commuting is OK but just getting out there with no goal in mind is pretty cool.

Carlisle Iron Cross Lite

I so look forward to weekends, especially the long ones.  This weeks photoshoot was basically on "home turf" I had to drive less than 30 minutes to get to the Iron Cross race yesterday.  A few people were trying to talk me into riding the "C" race.  They were telling me its one of the less technical courses out there.  Ya right!  This would have been me on every lap.

The whole reason I gave up mountain biking was because I could not stand to ride on roots or hop over logs.  Guess what, in addition to the usual 'cross fun there is rooty single track and LOGS!  See ya next year.  This year its photographing the mayhem and trying to build base if  racing should happen next season.  Also next year I'll be able to race in the 55+ group.

Next week is one of the national events in Wissahickon.  All the national photographers will probably be there but I'll try to hang with the big boys.  If anybody wants to spot me $1700 for a new Sony 70-200 "G" lens I promise I'll take nice pictures of them, their family, and pets for the rest of their lives.

Kelly Acres

WoW, can the people who organize cyclocross races be any more sadistic?  I thought that last week's course was brutal, but this weeks looked like a non-stop lung buster.  In addition to the natural landscape which consisted of several climbs that could barely be walked up let alone ridden they added a man made fly over.  It looked like so much fun that I decided to start training for races next season.  My physical therapist says its OK because my neck is not going to get any better or worse.  I can turn side to side to see behind me so it should not be a hazard for other racers.  However my wife and non rider friends think I have lost the last of my brain cell.  We will see next year.  I need some motivation and commuting to work and group rides are getting old.  So I have a new goal for next year.  To cat up from my current CAT 5 to at least a 4.

Bike Ride Saturday

Since I began shooting on weekends I don't have much time to ride. Yard work and chores on one day, shoot races on another. I don't mind because photographing races lets me live vicariously through my photography. The three day a week commute to work is nice but I really like to get out on my "race bike" and hammer away. Since I have to get up at 4:30 to give Bailey her meds I stayed up and did some work around the house. When the sun came up I decided to ride. This was the best road ride I have had in weeks. The morning was beautiful. It had rained a few hours earlier but the roads were drying out fast. I took along my point and shoot camera and grabbed a few photos of the day.  I managed 30+ miles with a decent pace.  and came back to enjoy the rest of the day.

The Things We Do

Took the afternoon off so I can take Bailey, my 10 year old yellow lab, to the vet for an ultrasound of her liver. I never even take the afternoon off to go to the dentist! I schedule all my appointments for my lunch or after work. The things we do for our pets.

Ed Sander Cyclocross

I just got done cleaning the mud from my stuff from yesterday. I would bet anything there are a lot of racers that still have mud nestled somewhere the sun don't shine. Anyway, it was a perfect day to watch the sufferfest of the Ed Sander Memorial Cyclocross down in northern Maryland. After an all day rain on Saturday and a few sprinkles thrown in for the first race on Sunday the course mud was about the consistency of peanut butter.

Sure the mud and racing was great. But the highlight of the entire event was "The Back Nine". It was a cross between the local church's pancake breakfast (substitute waffles) and a good old German October Fest. It had three of the most important things in life all in one spot, Free, Food, and Beer. What else could one ask for? How about a fantastic race announcer that kept the entire day interesting with music and cometary. I'll leave it to the other bloggers out there for a blow by blow description of the race. All I have to say is THANK YOU! for a great day.

I don't suck...much

Ok, so here I am under pressure to publish a blog. Blogs are mostly for people who have a life. Or at least an interesting one. I have neither, or do I? Let's see what interests me the most? That's what the Blog Bible tells you to write about. Hmmmmm.....Ok, I got it. Cycling and Photography in that order. There is nothing that makes me happier than riding my bike or taking a picture. Early this summer I decided to get off my fat ass, stop playing World Of Warcraft and do something that would bring me into the light. I still rode my bike somewhat but the addiction to WOW made the rides shorter and shorter even as the days grew longer. Kickin' the Warcarft habit almost as bad as quitting crack. Never been down that lane but I did quit smoking cold turkey about 30 years ago so I sort of got the idea. Anyway this past labor day I was playing around with my camera and decided to hop in the car and drive up to Bloomsburg to watch my first crit in about 20 years. I took some photos and was hooked. Later that week I got both my bikes tuned up, quit my guild, and closed my WOW account. I'm going to talk a bit about photography and cycling. It's not my intent to be the know all be all blog on either topic. There's plenty of them out there. It's just to entertain and amuse the reader and have some fun too!