Legendary Fitchburg/Longsjo, July 2-5, 2009

Legendary Fitchburg/Longsjo, a stage race in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, 45 minutes west of Boston. 50th anniversary in 2009. Past winners: Lance Armstrong, Tyler Hamilton, Chris Horner, Davis Phinney, Louis Garneau, Richard Centore, Bobby Phillips ... generations of cycling champions, Olympians and greats on and off the bike who made the sport -- helped create competitive cycling -- in the United States. While I posted about 180 pictures here, this trip wasn't about picture taking. It was my third trip to Fitchburg. Our first trip, with 16 year-old Nathan, was pretty much as expected: good training, great fun with friends, and riding towards the back. Modest results in 2008.

In 2009, busting through the top layers, Category 1, 18 year-old Nathan hit it. Big time. He finished 2nd place, General Classification, ahead of many of the top U19 riders in the United States. He did this against six riders from the best performing junior team in the country, Hot Tubes, run by Toby Stanton. Hot Tubes worked to pick Nate apart in the road races and criterium, sending attacking rider after attacking rider up the road, attempting to drain him, as he doggedly chased each attack. Nate pulled down second place overall, one minute behind first and one minute in front of third. Finishers stretched 28 minutes back (official results here).

Nate's blog notes: http://nathanjwilson.blogspot.com/ ... and Coach Sue Hefler's blog.

Onward towards the pro ranks and races: National Criterium Championships in Downers Grove, Cascades Classic in Bend, along with U19 Championships, Red River Gorge UCI World Qualifiers, and regional events. Good times.

Reston Town Center, 6.28.09

Great day at the races, nice venue. Reston Town Center Grand Prix, a criterium hosted by Evolution Cycling Club, in Reston, Virginia. Keeper rate was high. Techniques seem to be falling into place, mid-season. Ready for Fitchburg next week, massive Massachusetts stage race and party. Had a little "freedom of the press" travail, since a road guard and cop kicked me out of a sweet spot in the most downhill corner, a strip of median grass I named "Crash Beach." A few good crash shots there, like this one, a flying junior and bike. But I didn't get the quite the angles or proximity I wanted, so I left. Anyway, nothing Pentagon Papers level. The Crash Beach shots were pretty good.

Shot mostly ISO 800 and 1/1,250 ... F-stop was more constrained, since it was overcast and sometimes drizzly. A lot of shots around F5.6. Most shots manual focus. Resulted in some pretty good snappers, like this one. Tight and pretty clear. Rich tone. In general, I'd pre-focus then capture folks in the peloton when they came through sharp and, mostly, had an interesting expression. Candids mostly at 1/320 second or less. Some interesting architectural features, dogs, kids, guys and gals.

During Cat 4 race, light turned bad, so picture quality (and keepers) turned down. Same for second half of women's 1/2/3 event. Album is published here, about 275 images, more than usual.

Risk taking

Someone beloved to me said: "Dad, you're too close. You could get hurt." (Don't do that.) I've had crashes almost land on top of me. I'm careful to stay out of the way, to not contribute to crashes. Being close, though, helps grab the decisive moment. I'm not too much for complicated photographic technique, a bunch of flashes and $20K of gear (though my stuff isn't cheap). I think -- my photographic style is -- that the real value, the art, is catching the scene and the context. Recording something very human, pathos. Whether it's slum kids in Cairo, a dying man, or a cyclist on the edge.

Yep. I could get hurt. Here, I'm ambivalent. Because I was gravely injured by a drunk driver when I was 17, I have not had a pain free day in 32 years (excluding occasional, prescribed narcotic drop-offs). My father was a famous war correspondent (and occasional photographer), all the big ones from Vietnam forward. (Age 75, he was embedded with 1st Marines in Iraq, Kuwait to Baghdad.) My great grandfather and namesake walked from Capetown to Cairo, taking pictures. Two or three times. He walked across Russia with a pushcart. India, Japan, more. I've marched with protestors in Mexico shooting film, and left my girlfriend (now wife) crying on the street while the brown-shirts arrested me photographing Basque rebels in Spain. (Both times my camera and pictures were confiscated or stolen.)

Alas, getting close, it's a bit risky. But -- for a mild-mannered computer nerd embedded in government -- it is vivifying. When I'm done, kaput, I hope it will be a good picture.

Tour of Washington County (Williamsport Criterium), 6.21.2009

Caught the last half of the last stage of the Tour of Washington County (Maryland), slipping into Williamsport after lunch Sunday to catch a bit of the top women's race and the Category 1/2/3 criterium. My son was riding top 5 in general classification coming into the crtierium. He finished third overall. Pretty awesome.

Light was good, bright, and I settled into a couple corner spots, shooting racers pretty close, often 5 to 15 feet away. Mostly used manual focus technique, with ISO 400 or 800 and 1/1000 or 1/1250 sec. shutter speed. As normal, shot candids at 1/320. Corner location afforded a couple crash shots, reproduced in blurred sequence here and here. Rest of gallery starts here.

Health to the fallen riders, and to guys who slurped brown splash that ran off farm fields during Saturday's wet road race.

G10 (first outing), 6.20.09

I like to take pictures and I like to ride bikes. I need to ride to help keep my body (such as it is) from falling apart. I'm going to Bend in a few weeks (as Soigneur and father), a land of great rides and visual splendor. But my photography kit -- a Canon 5D and a passel of lenses -- isn't bike-suitable. It doesn't go in a jersey pocket. I have a little old Nikon Coolpix point and shoot. It's serviceable, but with 3 Mb pixels and all, it didn't feel up to snuff. I test rode the Coolpix last weekend out in Poolesville and up and down Sugarloaf. The shots were pretty mediocre. So I traded in a summer's worth of kitchen points today and pulled down a Canon G10, a 15 Mb pixel gizmo that also shoots RAW. Everyone raves about it. $450 at Best Buy. (I lusted after the Leica Dlux 4, but at about $700 ... I couldn't walk that plank ...)

Today I did a quick walkabout with the G10, from Rosslyn across Key Bridge into Georgetown. My initial reaction to the work is not astounding. Obviously, I still have a lot to learn to optimize the shots (I need to re-read the instruction manual, for starters) ... but I was concerned that even with 15 Mb pixels some of the shots came out sort of grainy, a moire wash. Also, as I knew, the gizmo isn't much for action shots, taking more than a second to cycle through a capture. On the other hand, the color seems spot on and it can grab pretty sharp detail. I'll keep practicing and I'm pretty confident by the time I'm rolling about the Three Sisters or Crater, in Oregon, the shots will be snazzy.

EMT Training

Below is an interesting lesson. I was trained as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT-B). My training was spurred by volunteer work guiding NCVC Juniors bike team, Ethiopia healthcare work, and general interest in health, helping and medicine. Since this training, I've worked minor to moderate trauma and medical cases, from head injury and rip-ups at races, to street incidents (e.g., seizures) in DC and Baltimore, and assessment work in Ethiopia.

EMT is a valuable and interesting line of study. I recommend: //www.nvcc.edu/medical.

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This was my second rotation at the Inova Fairfax Emergency Department. My prior study at Inova consisted of about 12 case observations, ranging from care for patients with significant hypertension, respiratory difficulty, wound care, substance abuse, cancer-related medical disability, syncope, and psychogenic issues; as well as procedures such as male patient personal care, cleaning medical equipment, electrocardiograms, ultrasound, and computerized axial tomography (CAT). My preceptor gave me high marks, but apologized that the round was “not very exciting.”

For my second study, I arrived at 6:40 AM, and was assigned to ER triage. The initial observed cases included leg joint swelling, abdominal pain (suspected early pregnancy), severed finger (construction accident), severe hypertension (BP 294/179) with acute abdomen, and a cancer patient with tachycardia (P 200). At about 9:00, we were notified of incoming code yellow and code blue vehicular trauma patients, transported by ambulance and air, respectively.

My preceptor assigned me to stand in a doorway between the two large ER patient care bays. Patient 1, the code yellow, arrived first, and was transferred to an ER bed in bay 1. S/he was alert, responsive and in severe pain. ER staff performed a rapid trauma assessment and identified probable pelvic fractures and lower abdominal injuries. The patient received x-rays in the bay, and was to advance to CAT scan. Cervical spine immobilization and backboard techniques were used throughout patient care.

Patient 2, code blue, arrived and was transferred to a ER bed in bay 2. Patient 2 received a Glasgow Coma Scale rating of 4 at the accident scene and 3 in the ER. (GCS scores range from 3 to 15, with 3 being most severe.) Prior to arrival, the patient was intubated by EMT personnel. The unresponsive patient was catheterized, given intravenous fluids and medications. Rapid trauma assessment indicated no obvious trauma beyond ecchymosis (bruising) and swelling about the left eye, and slowly reactive pupils. I helped transport the patient to CAT scan. I considerately asked a few questions. A medical resident, previously an EMT-paramedic, instructed me to ‘follow [and observe] this patient all day.’ Imaging showed approximately 2 cm midline deviation of the cerebrum. This indicated cerebral hemorrhaging and swelling. The patient and trauma team returned to the ER bay and further medications were administered. The patient received various assessments, including deep foot stimulation, for which s/he was unresponsive. The patient showed seizure activity in the arms. Subsequently, we took the patient to the Trauma Intensive Care Unit (TICU). The patient was evaluated by a neurosurgeon. An intracranial pressure (ICP) monitor was inserted by drilling a hole in the patient’s skull above the right ventricle and inserting a fiber optic measurement device. Patient position was managed, from Trendellenberg (feet elevated) to reverse Trendellenberg to observe ICP. ICP ranged as high as 85; normal is less than 15 mm Hg. Medications, including mannitol (an osmotic diuretic to reduce intraocular and intracranial pressures), were administered. The patient appeared to be roused, moving all four limbs, and a doctor worked to evoke a patient response by loudly calling the patient’s name, asking the patient to show two fingers, slapping the patient’s chest and squeezing the patient’s hand and arm. The patient did not respond to the stimulation.

ICP remained high. Medical staff inserted main line IV routes for high-volume administration of medications in the patient’s chest and arm(s). I maintained traction on the patient's right arm, to help manage swelling caused by the new line. Doctors indicated that surgery was required. We took the patient for a further CAT scan in order to image the current positioning of the brain. The patient was taken to an operating room (OR). Because I was not wearing surgical garb, I remained in an outer hallway. The patient was prepped for surgery, head shaved and orientation lines marked on the patient’s head (with lines indicating a left-superior cranial incision arc, from the top of the head to above the left ear). My preceptor returned from the OR and saw that I was outfitted in surgical garb — hat, mask, shirt, pants and booties. I put on gloves in the OR. There were approximately 12 medical personal in the OR, including the neurosurgeon and resident. I stood out of the way, about six to twelve feet from the patient, observing medical procedure and asking infrequent questions. The surgeon cut a rounded triangular skin and tissue flap (approx. 10x15 cm.) from the patient’s left superior cranium, and lifted this flap back to expose the skull (cauterizing vessels/tissues in the process). The surgeon drilled approximately six burr holes on the perimeter of the exposed skull area. (This procedure is termed craniotomy.) When the surgeon(s) subsequently pierced the dura mater beneath the skull, cerebrospinal fluid and blood gushed from the opening(s). The burr holes were connected by the surgical drilling/cutting instrument and the patient’s skull segment removed. (This procedure is termed craniectomy.) Incisions were made into the dura mater. Upon broad opening of the dura mater, the brain herniated about 2-3 centimeters from the plane of the skull. This was dramatic. It looked like patient’s brain leapt from its container. Several medical staff commented: “Did you see that? ... That’s not good.”

Surgeons reattached the patient’s skin and tissue flap and conducted various closing and wound care activities. I accompanied the patient back to TICU. The patient’s ICP was reduced, but s/he remained in critical condition. At 3:30 pm, I excused myself, returned my surgical garb, met with my initial preceptor (in ER triage), obtained signoff, and returned home.

[material redacted]

Ride Sally Ride, 6.06.2009

Rode bike out to nice criterium in Sterling, Virginia, hosted by Whole Wheel Velo Club.  (Carolyn drove and brought camera gear ... I drove home, she rode ... symmetry.)  Arrived about noon, in time to catch some master's racing and my son Avery's Cat 4 event along with Cat 3, Women's and 1/2/3 events.  Good light, hazy then a little bright later in the day.  Shot many shots, all manual focus but sometimes using 3-4 shots per second bursts.  Posted 150+ here.

Hung out in basically same place all day, catching riders from 6-20 feet away.  Nice tight corner, might have been better with wide angle, but seemed to do okay with lens at about 100-135 mm focal length (using 70-200 F4L).   A fellow I met at at Crystal City, also working with Canon 5D, used his ISO and shutter speed cranked way up (e.g., ISO 1600+ w/1/3200 shutter), so I tried amping these settings a bit.  Basically, I didn't like the results.  High ISO resulted in loss of fine-grained detail, and increased depth of field so much that backgrounds came into focus and proved distracting.  (In many shots, you can see my friends chillin' in lawn chairs under their canopy or other noise, like building roof antennae and telephone wires.)  Lesson learned.

During my only saunter of the day, a junior crashed after high-speed corner following downhill chute.  Fearing it was my own (I asked, "red and white?" and the official said "yes," making it likely one of the kids I work with ...), I ran to the crash.  It was a high octane junior from another team.  An EMT was on scene, so I put on blue gloves and took C-spine (held his head to immobilize the patient's cervical spine).  The youth's helmet had been blown apart on the left side, so we feared head injury; 6-8 cm laceration on left face, possible jaw/orbital injury.  Hip abrasion and injury.  Transferred C-spine to crew when ambulance arrived.  I've seen a lot of injury, but this one made me nauseous.  Maybe because it was a youth like my own, or empty stomach.

Crystal City, 5.31.2009

"Inadvertently" showed up at Crystal City (Arlington, VA) circuit race.  Had planned long bike ride, but hit pain problem, so swung by to catch pro race.  Took about 200 pictures and processed and posted 64 here.  Pretty high keeper rate.  Used same approaches described for Clarendon Cup (post).  No autofocus.  Light was good, found some mellow shade areas on the route that gave more balanced lighting.  Pretty high turnout by mainstream cycling press (kudos to promoter), rocking with $20,000 photo gigs.  No envy.  I like the simpler street photography mode.

Pleased with learning and results.  Some pretty sharp racer pics, and a couple pleasant candids.  Looking forward to more at Fitchburg-Longsjo (MA), Lost River (WV), Cascades Classic (Bend, OR), Junior Nationals (also Bend) and regional races.  May go to Moscow in August for Worlds ...

Clarendon Cup, 5.30.2009

Clarendon Cup (part of the two-day U.S. Air Force Cycling Classic), promoted by Arlington Sports.  Best outing of the season.  Shot 1,500 images; processed (cropped, adjusted exposure, intensity etc.) and posted about 300 here.

Light was a little hot (bright sun), which washed-out some shots and made harsh shadows.  But bright light also provided high-tone opportunities like this and sparkles.  This shot of the DC Velo guy is a favorite. This year's Rock Racing jersey looks like something that calls for EMT gloves and occlusive bandages. Kelly's Jeff Brandon was awesome (placing first in 1/2/3 ... Kelly also grabbed 3rd and 4th).  Something strikes me about this candid, wholesome, appealing.

Things that seemed to work best:  Shot almost all race pictures manual focus (Canon 5D autofocus is slow for sports); varied ISO from 400-800, aiming to keep at F5.6-8.0, shutter speed 1/800-1/1250; work to keep low, on ground if possible (to capture cyclists' faces).

Skills to work on: Manual focusing, background management (tossed a number of otherwise good shots because junk behind racers), and hydration.  I may bring a second body with wide angle; results were comprised when shooting in tight corner (turn 3) with longer lens (70-200 mm).

Tour of Somerville, 5.25.2009

Tour of Somerville didn't meet expectations.  Light was bright and harsh.  Fields were less than expected.  Very chubby man crossing street in front of peleton hit my lens and yelled at me.  Achey overnight on port-a-bed.  And so on.

A few nice shots here.  Liked Laura Van Gilder fan club -- nice shot of Laura before her club here.  Sons raced well; Nate (Kelly) was in five breaks during Pro/1/2 event.

Apologize for being cranky.  Next up is USAF Classic in my hometown, Clarendon.  That will go better ...

RFK, 5.24.2009

Just a quick set of shots at Sunday's RFK Criterium, promoted by Hub Racing ... held on former LeMans race course behind RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.  Bright but overcast day, so good conditions for shooting.  Manual focus again proved out for tight race shots.  Mostly candid shots and Mens Pro/1/2 event.  Uploaded photos here.  Off to Somerville, New Jersey, for Memorial Day Tour of Somerville.

Favorite is kid with iguana.  He asked "How do you do that?" about bike race.  He rides small trick bike, but would like to race.  So ... I pointed him to NCVC Juniors web site ... maybe we'll see him rocking the pack next year.

Bike Jam, 5.17.2009

Gray day, some rain (but mostly good soft light).  Shot at ISO 800, 1/1000th second.  Using lessons from Wilmington (yesterday), did more work using manual focus.  Generally pleased, though quality dropped off as day progressed (got more tired and a little cold).  Liberating to photograph the old fashioned way; not dependent on some computer chip to draw image tight.

Bike Jam is one of my favorite venues ... lots of good racing shot angles, spectator/kid activities, people.  Good time with street photography co-conspirator, Kevin Dillard.  Posted 130+ shots here.

Wilmington Grand Prix, 5.16.2009

Long but pretty good day at Wilmington Grand Prix in Wilmington, Delaware.  Several colleges, art schools and galleries add some exotic background, interesting people.  Town seemed grittier than 2007.  My guess is the recession has led to cut backs.  Pretty overcast in morning, with partly sunny, at best, toward afternoon. Shot most action at ISO 800 @ 1/1000th second.

Did more work than usual shooting using manual focus, this seemed effective at catching close-in fast-action shots.  I think I'll do more manual focus from now on -- my Canon 5D is great for portraits/candid work, but sluggish for sports.

Selected and posted 151 photos here.  Exciting Pro/1 race -- National Race Calendar (NRC) event.  Son Nathan did a lot of hard work leading in Cat 2/3 race at start of day, followed immediately by Junior race.  A lot of crash action; caught some with camera.  Had EMT role for racer in Cat 2/3 event -- face/head injury, blood in trachea impeded breathing, worked C-spine, facial injuries, until back-boarded and transported.

Off to Baltimore tomorrow for Bike Jam.

Tour of the Gila, 2009

Tour of the Gila is one of the biggest bike races we've been to.  Out in New Mexico, Silver City area.  About 6,000 feet altitude.  High desert, Continental Divide, energetic old mining town gone a bit artistic and upscale.  Cliff dwellings, mountains, the mix.  Son Nathan flew out Monday, April 27, to race in Category 2 stage race -- five events, 323 miles, about 20,000' climbing.  Impressed by Nate's first two days' results and feeling hemmed in by DC, I made an impromptu decision to take a look. (Recession cheap airfares didn't hurt.) Packed camera kit, some clothes, caught Friday 7 pm flight from Dulles and got to race area about 3 AM MST (5 AM EST) Saturday.

Nate did awesome in Saturday's Cat 2 criterium in downtown Silver.  On about lap 5 of 30 laps (1.08 miles per lap) he broke away from the pack to form what became a 3 or 4 man breakaway.  Nate sustained this for just about the end of the race, and came across the line in eighth ... gained a few seconds in the overall classification, remaining at 13th slot GC (the second highest junior).  (During the crit, we learned at Sunday's podium time, he won a preme or two -- some extra swag with his check.)

Photography was pretty good, shot a range of speeds (1/320 candids, 1/800-1/1,250 for race shots, with either 400 or 800 ISO).  Big news was the Pro/1 race, a cohort one level above Nate's.  Stars Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, Floyd Landis, Chris Horner and others entered.  So there was a large contingent of media -- and competition and performance was an amplitude higher.  I had a press pass and a good amount of time up near Lance and crew.  High altitude light was very strong.  And it was windy and dusty.  Am starting draft post processing (on laptop).  Will upload some samples tonight (Saturday).  Need to wait to get home Monday to do more refined work on Mac Pro (i.e., with color balanced monitor).

Some pretty cool stuff.  Young woman who played violin for her friend in race was striking.  Each time the peleton came around, she'd drop into some Bach or another.  Seemed to have been good effect: her friend moved-up in the standings.

Long, 103 mile road race tomorrow (Sunday).  7 mountain passes, some wicked descents, no guardrail, shear drop offs of 200 feet on curves.

Sunday, May 3 -- 102.6 mile Gila Monster race promised to be more than epic.  On top of four days' prior racing -- two long road races, time trial and a sapping crit, -- today's Cat 2 race had 8,943' of climbing, in dry mountains and swash.  Some nasty downhills, cliffs.  Unlike the shooting-fish-in-a-barrel crit, where the riders pass many times in many laps, the road race only had a few quick options to photograph individual riders.

Early morning I drove up to race mile-40, Emory Pass, the highest point at 8,156 feet, to check vantage points.  I settled to a stone box canyon about six miles below the pass, and waited for the Cat 2's to come through.  (Because riders U-turned at the top of the pass, I'd get two opportunities to shoot.)  Both going up and going down, I missed Nate, sitting in the pack, but I got the main group and a breakaway. 

From the box canyon, I drove 65 miles to the finish line area, at Pinos Altos (high pines).  I got some nice shots of the Lance Armstrong machine, with Levi Leipheimer and others as they charged to win the Pro/1 race.  Levi won, Lance got 2nd.  A bit later, a Cat 2 caravan vehicle came through but wasn't immediately followed by a group.  A smattering of racers straggling from other events (Masters 40+ and Women 3/4) came up.  Then a couple 2s charged in, followed in a few minutes by a breakaway with Nate. He looked fresh and called out "Hey Poppa" as he shot past. Nate finished 9th in the Gila Monster, the top junior for the event, and 9th overall (GC -- General Classification) for the Tour.  Awesome.

Posted a few preliminary images from my laptop while in New Mexico.  Total capture for the Tour was 1,397 images.  Using Mac Pro (with Aperture, etc.) at home, finished posting late Tuesday night.  About 176 images selected.  Some nice race pics, but favorites are candids and landscapes.

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Extraordinary thanks to coach Sue Hefler for Nate's results, and NCVC's (my club's) great success with Junior racing.  (NCVC Juniors also won more than a few podiums in Sunday's Bunny Hop, a local event in Maryland.)  Sue -- Hefler Performance Coaching -- and Pierre Pelletier have not just been the special sauce behind much success, they have provided expert guidance in all aspects of racing, patient mentoring and care for a broad community of racers, novice to pro.  Pearls like these have no price.

Tour de Ephrata, 4.25-26.09

Thinking about this day holistically, or partly so.  We drove up Friday -- my fourteen year-old (racing age 15) son Avery and 17 y.o. teammate.  Slogged through Friday night traffic north.  Stayed in Lititz, a small village in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  Woke early, at race registration by 7:30 AM.  Avery and teammate launch in Category 4 event at 9 AM, a 40 mile race through farmland.  Slightly overcast and cool in morning, so shot at ISO 800 until about noon, then dropped to 400.  Haven't done post processing yet, but probably a few nice ones.  In afternoon, served my team's Elite squad in feed-zone, passing out bottles of water as they raced past during their 72 miler.  Nobody I know did particularly well in the races.  It seems the newly seasonal heat -- racing in 85 degree air temp on hotter roads -- sapped everyone.  My son and teammate had a mechanical (broken spoke) and flat tire, respectively, on their first lap, and they dutifully slogged on to the end of the race.

I am always struck by how good folks are in the cycling community.  The sport is lots of fun but trying, and racers, parents, and supporters are giving and tight.  More folks should find a path like this.

After the Elite finish, we returned to the hotel and Avery showered.  I padded him with a couple twenties so he could have dinner with teammates and folks; I put on my bibs and L'Abitibi jersey and headed out.  From about 5 - 6:30 I rode the race course.  I was blown away.  Very beautiful venue.  On my second lap, I worked reasonably hard and probably turned in a not too embarrassing lap time (for a Cat 5 newbie).  There were so many great scenes I wanted to hop off my bike and grab a shot:  A little Amish boy on the front swing of his hundred-year old stone house; horses charging across fields; flatulent cows; Amish buggies; kids on old bikes pulling wagons filled with fishing poles and buckets, headed to the creek; a young couple laying about on a creek bank; fields and farms in rich light cast by low angle sun.  I was inspired, so after loading my bike on the trusty CRV, I dropped to a couple spots to take some shots -- a covered bridge, fly fishermen (missed them ... they left after I pulled in), stream wash.

My job inside the Beltway can be stressful.  It was good tonic to cruise through the fields and grab some shots -- maybe, later, antidotes to hang on office walls.

Tomorrow, Pain Mountain time trial early morning, then downtown Ephrata criterium races.  Last year's pics are here.  Monday, Nathan flies to El Paso, gateway to the Tour of the Gila, a monster road race in New Mexico.  I'm tempted to push out there for some additional tonic (and incredible scenery), but probably not practical.

More to come.

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Pretty socked-out.  Big story for me was intensity and success Avery had in Cat 4 races Sunday.  Pictures tell all:  A beast at the front of the pack.  Other notes were a number of crashes in downtown criterium.  Funny, I was talking with fellow NCVC U19 father, Linc Brookes, as we sat about the second corner, a 90-degree turn after a downhill.  I said, "Linc, you know in the Cat 4/5 race, there's a 50% chance of a crash right here."  Soon enough, the riders came around the corner on their first lap, working hard, and smack, a rider went over the curb and down.  Coincidence was, it was Linc's son, David.  David dusted himself off, took a free lap, and powered on to win 8th -- a damn good result, all considered. [Nb:  It wasn't just juniors who crashed.] Left not long after Cat 4 race with Avery.  Pulled about 100+ photos from the till and post-processed.  Results pretty good. Selection here.

Carl Dolan Memorial, 4.19.2009

Slept in, rode 22 miles with Carolyn mostly on Arlington's squirrel loop, and showed-up at Carl Dolan Memorial Spring Classic after lunch to watch and take pictures of final, senior category 1/2/3 race. (Son Nathan was in Kelly green.)  Overcast but warm.  Soft light.  Pushed to ISO 800, driving aperture to  F8-F11 at 1/1000.  Much higher depth-of-field; pleased with results -- high percentage of keepers.  Posted 100+ images here.

Also caught paparrazo shots of DC Mayor Adrian Fenty.  (I was born in DC in 1959, grew-up in Ward 4 ... Mayor Fenty is the best thing that ever happened to city government.)  Appreciation to DC Velo for staging this classic.

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Update: DCist picked-up Fenty pic, back-story ... here.

Syn-Fit Criterium, 4.18.2009

Pretty nice weather at Syn-Fit criterium, promoted by Evolution Cycling Club.  Bright, high-contrast day, so subjects didn't look too soft ... harsh shadow lines on faces.  Posted about 100 images here, a couple nice high tone backlight shots like this one of Ben.  Some blems in blue sky shots, so guess it's time for  a sensor cleaning.  Need to be more rigorous about keeping at F8 for sport shots ... otherwise, seems to get blurry (one guy sharp, rest muzzy).  Will try to track these lessons at Carl Dolan 1/2/3 race tomorrow (4/19).  Fond of big brother shot -- Nathan and Avery.

Tyson's Corner Circuit Race, 04.05.2009

Pretty mellow but long and diverse day at Tyson's Corner Circuit Race.  Carolyn started on site at 6:30 AM and I followed about seven with Avery.  We helped Tom and Judy Kendall and NCVC Junior parents set up food tent, barbecue etc.  Because ambulance was late, I was tasked with serving as EMT so the first 8:00 AM race could get started.  Unfortunately, I was on and off duty all day because ambulances had to run various folks to the hospital, a few with serious injuries.  (I covered while the ambulances were off-site.)  Finished about 6:00 PM, following 1/2/3 race and clean up.

Photos were pretty good, selected posted here.  Weather was sunny and warm (about 65 degrees).  Used favored 70-200 F4L lens on Canon 5D, ISO 400.  During the high-end 1/2/3 race, my friend Myron compelled me to get into the Carrera race lead car. I turned around in the convertible, hung over the back and shot a lot.  Pretty bouncy ride, but a few interesting pictures came through.  Hopped out after three laps, feeling nauseated. 

Had good fortune to spend time with my hero Kevin Dillard, sharing photo thoughts and stories.  Whilst we were at Tyson's, 18-y.o. Nathan was in Philadelphia grabbing third in the prestigious Lemon Hill Criterium Elite race.  All good stuff.

Jeff Cup, 03.29.2009

Getting ready for Jeff Cup this Sunday, one of my favorite cycling races.  Early season, scenic, can be nasty (snow in 2008).  Weather looks okay this year ... mild, maybe light rain. Nate racing Pro/1/2/3 (as a 2).  Avery is in Cat 4.  Bunch of juniors will launch.  Coach Sue will join.  Rented Canon 300 F4L, which proved out at last Trade Zone.  2009 Jeff Cup images posted here.  (2008 pics here ... 2007 pics here.)

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Light was overcast, some drizzle in morning, then sunny in afternoon.  Another pretty mellow day -- after normal churn helping NCVC U19 squad launch.  Juniors picked-up three podiums in their age groups, and my sons ran well in 1/2/3 race (until stiff pothole cracked stem and carbon wheels) and Cat 4 race (Avery's first).  

Ran 711 images.  Working with a little more critical eye, will post about 200.  Canon 300 mm proved out about as expected, though image quality/focus hunting was not as good as prior effort at Trade Zone ... maybe user defect (not enough coffee) or weaker light.  300 mm depth of field is a little shallow for bike race, so I'm tending to move back to the 70-200 F4L as lens-of-choice for bike races (Carolyn cheers ... no new 'investment').  Also, I miss the zoom for doing walkabout candid shots and broader landscapes.

May take 1.4X teleconverter to Ephrata or Bike Jam to see how that works ... more reach, easier framing (and cheaper).

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Sue Hefler's Jeff Cup blog  

Nathan's Jeff Cup blog

Trade Zone, 3.15.2009

Rented Canon 300 mm F4L I/S lens from Penn Camera (Tyson's), $35/day, for try-out shots at Trade Zone training races.  (Images posted here.)  I usually shoot 70-200 F4L zoom.  I like the zoom because I can do more variety -- e.g., close-up people shots, candids, mild panorama.  That said, the 300 was something else.  Amazing sharpness, gorgeous color (despite drizzle).

Grey, misty, about 45 degrees.  Shot at ISO 800, action shots 1/1250 or 1/1000, candids less (1/400 +/-).  Lens wasn't too heavy, handheld just fine.  Good reach into race action.  Nice bokeh (softness behind shallow depth of field).  Left about halfway through the 'A' (fastest) race; rain become more steady, didn't want to gum the lens.  The rental lens improves outcomes, but at $1240, I'm not ready for kitchen point deficit.

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Follow-up note:  Used 300 mm with IS mode 2 (panning).  Will try it next with IS turned off to improve focusing speed.