There are great sprints by great sprinters then there is this extra terrestrial effort by our Mark
Sorry Heinrich you German Aussie you 🙂
Legendary Moments in Cycling Number 2
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Tagged bike race, cycling, heinrich, mark cavendish, milan san remo, sprint, sprinters
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50mm Challenge
Went to the Todmorden round of the Yorkshire Cross Series on Monday and for extra fun i shot it all with the 50mm prime. (You could get close enough)Â The racing was as tough as usual with plenty of mud. The road season starts soon so maybe not too many cross races left so onwards to fresh challenges and different faces.
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Tagged 50mm, cross series, cyclo cross cyclist, mud, yorkshire
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Legendary Moments in Cycling Number One
The first in an occasional series highlighting, through the medium of youtube, some of the great cycling moments.
This looks like Stephen Roche!
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Thats More Like It
My conversion to cyclo cross is now complete. On Sunday i was at the National Trophy race at Peel Park in Bradford and this was a whole new bike race experience to me altogether. The weather was great (it pissed down most of the day!), the atmosphere was electric (cow bells ala Alpe Duez and rowdy cobbled classics type fans) the course was outrageous and the competitors just awesome. By the way the photo opportunities were the best i have ever had. I took nearly 800 pics would you believe and this despite the horrendous conditions. Congratulations to Paul Oldham in the senior mens and what a great ride by Nick Craig still mixing it up at 42 and coming home in second place. I’ve said it before but can’t wait for the next one.
The Legend
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Tagged "bike racing", "cyclo cross" cycling, "national trophy series", "peel park", bikes, bradford, sport, yorkshire
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There’s Good News and There’s Bad News
As i have said before i have followed cycling for some 40 odd years and for most of this time have had to watch other cycling nations take all the prizes whilst we in this country have had at best one or two pros at the top table getting the odd win here and there. Think Paul Sherwen and Graham Jones, Robert Millar and Sean Yates, Chris Boardman and Max (I’m from Derby mi duck) Sciandri, David Millar and well just David Millar. Anyway the unthinkable has happened in recent years and we Brits have not only got to the top table we have shoved the French and Belgians off it and sent them to the bar for us! Now we have arrived though it is important that they stay there and year on year grow in numbers and to keep getting the victories. Because we were starved of success for so long every UK rider in a top team and at a top race is like a precious stone to be treasured (jeez that sounded pretentious!)
So over the last week or so two particular riders have had mixed fortunes that i just need to speak about.
Firstly Jonny Bellis.He emerged on the pro scene three years ago with Saxo Bank after a very successful junior career. The world was at his feet but unfortunately during his first season he was knocked from his scooter and this compounded with an hospital infection (nice to know the Italians are competant at giving out these and its not just us) has struggled to recover from what has been a life threatening set back. He was released this Autumn from his contract at Saxo Bank which i’m sure Bjarne Riis did reluctantly but he does have a business to run. He has however managed to get a berth on the An Post Sean Kelly squad who recognise his class and are prepared to invest time into his full rehabilitation. Nice one Jonny and good luck in getting back to your best.
On the other hand a solid and classy British pro, Daniel Lloyd, has been given the heave ho from Garmin Cervelo and with the lack of any openings for next year looks set to retire. This is a real shame as he really is one of the good guys. He won’t lower his sights and settle for a career in a domestic team as he feels that at thirty he has a better chance of getting a “proper” job than hanging on for another 4 or 5 years. Fair play to him and all the best for the future- wherever that may lie
Favourite Race
We all have a favourite race that’s for sure. Over the years I have avidly followed Paris-Roubaix. This race is awesome, ridden by hard Belgians with craggy faces and just one eye in the middle of their forehead. This race is the creator of legends. Who remembers the time where, as usual, the riders hugged the relative smooth gutters of the pave to avoid the cobble strewn crown of the road only to see mega hard man Brit Sean Yates blast them all off by going straight down the middle over the humps bumps and potholes to finish a remarkable fifth behind Andrei Tchmil. An awesome race and a photographers dream. Its right at the top of my list of “One thing to do before you die”!
Anyway, I’m trying to make a point here. The point being that we Brits now have a race in this country that whilst not being able to compete with P-R in terms of stature, history and legend is certainly a classic in the making and given time and continual sponsorship will start writing its own stories. I am talking about the International Cicle Classic. (To be pedantic a more realistic comparison would be the Montepaschi Strade Bianche in Italy but that doesn’t trip off the tongue quite as easily.) The race is run from Oakham to Melton Mowbray via a series of farm tracks and like P-R the hard men take charge. It laps a few times so is great for the spectator and because it’s in April is hostage to the weather. Bad weather and bike racing. Great for the photographer, perhaps not so good for the cyclist.So do yourselves a favour and head for this race next spring. You wont regret it
To All Those Wimpy Footballers
Yes. The ones who writhe about when they chip a finger nail.
Introducing Djamoldine Abdoujaparov THE TASHKENT TERROR!!!
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Well I Never!
Last Sunday i did something new. After following cycling since i was knee high to Steve Joughin i went to a cyclo cross race. This type of racing has never really appealed to me before. It just seemed like a cross country run with a bike on your shoulder. But no! Wrong! Its more of a proper eyeballs out bike race on grass and mud and nettles and …well you get the picture.
I was actually at the Weaver Valley Cross in Northwich, a well supported, well attended race which forms part of the North West League. It was an hour of gruelling, gripping cut and thrust which, in my opinion, is probably one of the most photogenic branches of our highly photogenic sport.
So whilst i previously believed that the outdoor season finished in October along with the opportunity to photograph it i suddenly find myself inspired and relishing the fact that for the rugged hard cases it has only just begun.
My second race is this Saturday, The Geoff Bewley Memorial Cross at Aigburth. What a ding-dong doo!!
Just one thing. Can we have some rain and mud this Saturday please. Theres no point riding in Winter if its dry
Lets Stalk About Ed
My wife is convinced I am a stalker. Let me explain. I go all over the country following cycle racing and of course taking plenty of pictures in the process. Over the past few years I have been to about sixty or seventy top-level races but the majority of them have one thing in common. Every time I raise my camera to get a picture, Ed Clancy MBE seems to be at the end of my lens. It’s not my fault, I don’t deliberately seek him out. Maybe hes stalking me. Perhaps he spies me in the crowd with my camera and deliberately gets in the shot.Its a sad fact that I probably have more photos of Ed in my collection than I do of my beloved daughter.
So if you happen to read this Ed I plead with you not to devote your 2012 road season to clogging up my memory card. It’s not big and it’s not clever.
Come on Ed. Give someone else a chance!
Watch This Too
I was never a fan of Lance but you’ve got to admire him for this one.
ps Spare a thought for Beloki. He was never the same again
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Tagged 2003 tour de france, bike race, crash, lance armstrong, off road
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ShoottheBikeRace 