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.