It is that special time of the year, there is a little chill in the morning air, the leaves are beginning to change, and yes, Cross is Coming…and so is a photographer’s dream. Cyclocross is not just a unique event, but a mixture of events, or hybrid that welcomes a different type of challenge and challenger. Also, because of its attributes, give the camera a plethora of images from speed to acrobatics caught with their lens.
Looking back at my experiences on the bike, I thought of the different genres of cycling like the different groups if kids I knew in high school.
Road bikers were the ones that were straight laced, got straight “A’s in Calculus, knew all the answers on the test, but would never share them. Mountain Bikers, well, they are pretty much the grunge rocker that may be pretty cool, but you cringe if your daughter dated one of them. Crazy some of the time, but behind the scenes, very smart. Gravel bikers were that track runner that would not stop after the season was over….they started training immediately for cross-country, taking the same clothes and shoes, and running on a dirt trail or path. Then there were “Time Trialers”, who were, face it, were the the nerdy ones. Pretty much introverts, sat at the lunch table by themselves, got great grades, but under the radar most of the time.
Then there was that group of “Crazy Good” athletes, the ones that played football, baseball, and maybe swimming or wrestling between those seasons. They wanted to do everything their way on their terms. Today we call them “Cyclo-Cross Athletes” who compete in a sport that is a mixture of several cycling, and sometimes running sports thrown into a Ninja
blender and poured out on a winding single track lined with ribbon.
It is an incredibly challenging sport to compete in, with instant decisions a rider must make, ie: Do I attack that hill or jump off, and run up it with a bike on my shoulder, Do I jump the obstacle or run and hurdle it with bike in hand.
The way the courses are lined up, with winding ribbons lining the trail and route, it is a spectators dream. You can pick a spot, and in some cases, see 75% or more of the course. This allows for a great event to watch whether your friends or family competing, or you just want to come watch for the spectacle, and sometimes, great slips, and sometime balancing acts.
It is also a photographer’s dream come true, as you can see above. In Colorado we are blessed with some of the best sports/cycling photographers in the country. On any given weekend, you can see them out at these events….and they can’t help but come away with awesome images from every race.
Look for runs, jumps, and flips and outright speed and action in every heat of the race. This group of gifted photographers use their experience, talent, and magic, to captures the energy and action of the moment.
www.racershots.com is the hub for the majority of these talented photographers, where you can find links to every one of their sites, with their collections of the events they have photographed. They Include:
Check the above links out to see what great work all of them do. Better yet, attend a cyclocross race, watch it, or try one out and see what this is all about.
Gary Robinson, Colorado Avid Cyclist
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