The climb up the steep rocky hill sent a waterfall of sweat down my face. The best shooting location was not always on flat ground. After a short vacation from shooting sporting event, I was back in the saddle shooting a mountain bike event in Fontana – the California Golden State Championship #3 in Fontana, CA on May 15th.
Riding fast down the multi-lap course, the cross county mountain bikers I’d seen before at other races, or at least, most of them. At the top of the hill, a race volunteer advised that most of the mtb riders were walking the steep, uphill portion of the course. Today, I chose to photograph the mountain bikers looking strong on the downhill section of the course.
Feeling the heat, the Fontana sun was a reminder that summer was near. The next SRC event in August would add a new level of dehydration for these mountain bike riders. In a four event series, this was the third for SRC and major sponsor Kenda.
A mixture of single track trails and fire roads made up the California Golden State Championship. With one major climb and descent on this multi-lap course, the XC mountain bike riders who had enough energy to smile for the camera during the first few laps had no energy for a pose near the end. A tight 90 degree turn slowed many of the mountain bikers to an almost stand still near the top of the course.
In today’s race, David Santos captured the XC mountain bike race in 1:29:07 with Griffith Vertican and Garnet Vertican earning the 2nd and 3rd place spots in 1:34:07 and 1:41:05, respectively. In the women’s division, Heather Rose captured 1st place and a fourth overall finish in 1:53:12.
For the men, the downhiller with the fastest time for the day was David Klaassen VanOorschot with 2nd and 3rd place going to Rich Houseman and Ryan Egusquiza, respectively. For the women’s division, Gabriela Williams took 1st place followed by Kelly Damschen in 2nd place.
Ryan Equsquiza took on the Super D race as well and won, followed by Eric Bierman in 2nd. Heather Rose, the XC winner, took the Super D winner’s division.
For Mountain Bike Information, check out Keith Rejino’s website at Dreamscape Images MTB website for mental training tip, mtb news and sport nutrition guidelines.
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May 27 2010 | cycling | No Comments »
If there’s one thing we like it is gadgets. Gadgets make our lives easier to manage. When you bike ride, gadgets are both necessary and fun. Here are some must-have gadgets for the bike rider.
But first, you need to examine how you ride your bicycle. Do you enjoy an easy trip through the neighborhood once in a while, or maybe down to a local store on an errand? Or do you go on trails with your mountain bike for hours? The answer will determine what kind of extras you should get.
1. Bike Rack for your Car
A rack is a must for anyone who wants to ride in a location a good distance from home. You have to be able to transport your bicycle there without riding it. And it’s best to get a rack that can fit more than one bike. You never know when you’ll want to go riding with family or friends, or even if going solo, bring along a spare bike just in case. Just make sure you get a bike rack that holds your bicycle securely with the least amount of movement of the wheels or handlebars. And if your rack goes on the top of your car rather than the back, be mindful of the extra height when driving through tunnels or underpasses.
2. Bike computer
Some may think this is excessive, but it really is a handy tool to have if you want to track how far you have ridden. A bike computer can keep track of speed, mileage, elapsed time of the trip, and clock time, among other things. Some computers are more sophisticated than others and track more things.
3. Water Bottle
This comes as a standard on many bicycles today, but if you don’t have one, you need to add it. The first time you take a long drink after a hard ride, you’ll be happy you added it.
4. Bicycle Pedal Clips
Clips are very useful for keeping your feel from slipping off the pedals. It may seem that this makes it more difficult to stop, especially to a new bike rider, because you have to take your feet out of the clips before putting them down. But in reality, pedal clips make it easier on your feet.
5. Bicycle Panniers
These are bicycle bags that attach to the bike. They are much better than carrying stuff in a backpack because they leave the rider free to concentrate on the ride instead of worrying about the bag shifting and making the rider unbalanced. You can put all kinds of handy things in them such as your phone, a first aid kit, a tool kit for unforeseen repairs, food, and a jacket (you never know when a storm will come up suddenly). Having all this gear on the bike itself allows the rider to just enjoy the ride.
Dan knows the importance of biking gadgets, especially the cycling water bottle. That’s why he created a website devoted to it, called http://www.cyclingwaterbottle.org.
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April 06 2010 | bicycle | No Comments »