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.