ShoottheBikeRace

I was just trying to think of the main reason as to why i photograph cycle sport. Of course there are many. The scenery, the colours, the personalities and their shiny multi-coloured bikes. But no. I’ve got to be truthful here. The main attraction of photographing cycle sport is the crashes. The biggest buzz you can get (or at least I can get) is to anticipate a crash and stand there camera ready to capture it.

Dont get me wrong I am not a ghoul and i hate to see anybody hurt. In recent years we have lost Wouter Weylandts, Fabio Casartelli and Andrei Kivilev. Those kind of accidents are something altogether different and not something I would want to shoot.

Take a look at the following “right place, right time” shots. The biggest injury was a broken finger to Jens Voigt.

I am quite proud of these as I deliberately picked this spot just outside Moffat on the Tour of Britain this year. It was raining, there was a downhill left hand bend onto a bridge. It just had to happen. Steve Cummings went first taking out several others including poor old Jens who’s tour was over. My only regret is I left my camera with the wide-angle lens in the car so these are at 70mm.

The ones below were at Chester in 2010. This was the last lap sprint and chaos ensued. I’m pleased to say that the press missed this one. They were all at the finish line ha ha!

So you see as I am always saying there is no finer sport for capturing on film (or memory card) and the finest pictures of the finest sport are often the ones where the riders and their bikes are no longer an item

I went to the Rake Hill Climb in Ramsbottom today which was, as ever, superbly organised by the Lancashire Road Club (see photos here). These riders really are phenomenal. I was knackered just walking up it. You know a hill is steep when it has handrails on the walls!

Anyway the race was won by Jack Pullar of Vanilla Bikes beating seven times winner Jim Henderson. The ladies winner was Lynn Hamel of Herbalife/Wheelbase. Next year The Rake host the national hill climb championships. A worthy venue for a prestigious title.

Well some things take a bit of believing but the fact that Russell Downing is out on his ear is beyond me. For two years he has pulled his tripe out for the greater glory of the Sky behemoth and the thanks he gets is his P45 . He had a contract for one year which was renewed at the start of 2011 but ironically if it hadn’t been he would have been in a better position. Thats because the points he scored from 2010 would have made him an attractive proposition for most teams. This season the results have been sacrificed for the teams greater glory meaning fewer points and no interest from other teams.

All i can say is that Sky must be mad. Just try to think of a harder working pro (Thomas Voeckler maybe). Just try to think of another pro who is so grateful for the opportunity that he rides every day like his life depends on it. And with respect to Russ i am guessing that his salary is only a fraction of a number of his team mates. So whilst Sky have renewed the contracts of Michael Barry and Christian Knees our Russ is scrambling around for crumbs. Makes my blood boil

You can come out now Russ. Brailsfords gone looking for some more foreigners to sign

Still Looking For The Engine. Ha Ha LeBlanc!!

So Mark Cavendish has finally signed for Sky. A match made in heaven sees the worlds finest sprinter join the worlds richest team. And its all British.But wait. Is this such a good thing? Sky is already packed with sprinting talent (see Ben Swift and Davide Appolonio) and the rouleurs have got their work cut out in the Grand Tours looking after Brad and now Chris Froome. I cant help feeling that the seams might start coming apart as riders personal ambitions are shelved to make way for the one proven winner. Is this why Steve Cummings has gone? I don’t know but if he ever cited this as a reason it would be perfectly understandable.

Dont get me wrong I think its incredible what Cav has achieved in the last 5 seasons. He really is a superstar. But in their quest for world domination I hope the calculating brains at Sky haven’t omitted to factor in the human element.

Why Shootthebikerace? Why not? No not with a gun, or a crossbow. That wouldnt be right. With a camera, thats the only legitimate way to do it.

I enjoy cycle sport in all its forms, particularly road racing and especially at the highest level, i always have done. More recently i have moved into photographing it. And i enjoy that too.

I go all over the country as quite a few of us do. We are all looking for the picture that sets us apart from the field, and i guess none of us has found it yet as we are still out there doing it.

My style is to try and look sideways. I know its a bike race and of course i have to take the obligatory long shot full of riders but beyond that i like to get the portraits, the candids and yes the crashes. So on the premise that there must be more of us out there who do just the same i thought i would set this blog up to share views, photos and advise. Along the way it would be good to opine about other non-related matters that get our goats and have a laugh at each others and the cyclist expense.

So here it is. Comment, send pictures, just gob off!

Starter for ten: Bernie Eisel in odd pose shock!!