Bikes

BMX, Mountain Bikes, Dirt Jumping

31
Jul
2015
Side trip to Canberra

Side trip to Canberra

I had a weekend free of sorts so I took a trip to Canberra. I had donated a print to the charity Pedal 4 Pierce for their upcoming auction at Fight Night. The framers had insisted that I come down and sign the print before they finished the frame. I had also been wanting to do a shoot with Chris Jefferys, the founder of Pedal 4 Pierce, outside of a race setting as we had always done until this point so that they had a selection of images to use for promotional purposes.

So I guess a little bit of background is in order here first for those that don’t know. Pedal 4 Pierce was a charity started by Chris when he was 10 years old. Chris decided he wanted to ride bikes but did so to raise money for research into a worthy cause. He chose muscular dystrophy as his focus and Pedal 4 Pierce was born. He has been at it for the last 7 years or so. I also asked an outlet of talented dirt jumpers, Jack Baker and Tom Wrigley, to join me for a day shooting down there on some of the local trails that we knew about. The jumps are made from orange dirt that contrasts beautifully with the green of the surrounding vegetation. They had been extended quite a bit since I last shot down there so there was plenty of fresh angle to shoot from.

I also managed to squeeze in a quick shoot for Copic Australia. They brought along one of their new bikes that they had just finished building up, plenty of being on the bike. It was a full steel frame but super light. Keep an eye out for it on the Enduro trails.

The other reason for the trip was just to have a better look around Canberra and its surroundings. I was never too enamored with Canberra before but every time I go down there it grows on me a little bit more. So I drove out into the Brindabella National Park where things were nice and frosty and did a little exploring. There is a lot more exploring needed in this area. I am back down in Canberra next weekend so I shall continue with my exploration then.

Out in the Brindabellas
Parliament from Mount Ainslie
Black Mountain
Founder of the charity Pedal 4 Pierce, Chris Jefferys
Founder of the charity Pedal 4 Pierce, Chris Jefferys
Brindabellas
Forest road
A touch of frost
A touch of frost
A touch of frost
Cotic Bikes, Australia
Cotic Bikes, Australia
Wombat
Lake George
Lake eorge
Tom Wriggley
Jack Baker
Shaping
Canberra’s city lights come on as night falls
Posted by Richard in Bikes, Places
31
Jul
2015
Kempsey Rollercoaster

Kempsey Rollercoaster

It’s been a while since I have been out shooting any races but last weekend I was back at it under the guise of Outer Image. We were off to Kempsey to cover the fourth round of the Gravity Enduro Rollercoaster series.

Kempsey is about 5 hours north of Sydney so I decided to make a weekend of it and spend time camping at Hat Head National Park. This is one of my favourite campsites due to its stunning natural beauty and the fact that you set up camp among the kangaroos.

This year 2 more tracks were added to the course and another day of racing was added too. Day 1 was 2 tracks and then on the second day the tracks changed. There was a little bit of something for everyone in the tracks. I heard some say that there was too much pedaling in parts of the track while others said they loved those same sections for the rolling rides through the trees. The tracks were nowhere near as dusty as they were last year which although is good for the riders There was around 120 riders this time. Not such a big turn out for an enduro but considering its 5 hr drive from Sydney it was more than we expected. It’s a great track and good to see it’s expanded to include another 2 tracks this year.

Enjoy!!!

Posted by Richard in Bikes, Events
23
May
2015
Sydney Series Cyclocross round 1

Sydney Series Cyclocross round 1

 

Today i spent the afternoon checking out the first round of the Sydney Series of the Cyclocross. It’s a kind of unique type of racing. The bikes are modified racing bikes and the course is a mix between short course road racing and a short xc track. Obstacles around the course are designed to make you get off and carry the bike over them. Races only run for 45 mins but they are short and intense. Looks like a bunch of fun and I hope to get back and shoot a few more soon.

Posted by Richard in Bikes, Events, What's going on
02
May
2015
Shimano GP at Awaba

Shimano GP at Awaba

A couple of weeks ago, back when it wasn’t raining, I was up at Awaba with Outer Image shooting round 2 of the Shimano GP. Awaba for me is a funny track. I have shot there quite a few times but never seem to remember the locations or the layout of the track. I think that is mainly because I have only shot close to base camp before. This time for a change I decided to head out a bit further and just follow the track back in. I found a lot of cool locations, all rainforest type stuff. I did struggle a bit balancing the light out as it was just so dark in some of the locations and the sky when it came through the trees was so very bright. I found my self looking for shots where the sky wouldn’t show.

Love the track though and love the event. It’s another track on my list of places to visit outside of a race meet. I have also been told that I need to go up and shoot the downhill track as I have not yet had the chance to do so. The list is growing.

 

Posted by Richard in Bikes, Events
20
Apr
2015
A big weekend in the mountains

A big weekend in the mountains

I had a weekend down in Thredbo a couple of weeks ago. The 3rd round of the gravity enduro races was followed by a big start to the season of downhill racing here in NSW.

Cold nights and warm days made for some great MTB weather in the Snowies over the weekend. Kicking off the weekend was the Rollercoaster on the Flow trail. Not a lot of overly technical sections on this trail but a lot of fast-flowing berms. Gil took the lift up and covered the top half of the mountain while I walked up and shot the bottom section. The smooth fast berms saw a lot of folks coming in low as they flew past, laying into the berms as far as they could go.

Sunday saw the start of the DH season for us. Many familiar faces were out on track along with a lot of new ones. This time Gil and I swapped, me heading up top and Gil walking from the bottom. A cool breeze right up top meant I didn’t linger too long but quickly headed down to warmer climes. I tried revisiting a couple of old favourites on the way down but wanted to shoot a new location. I settled in on a corner and the trees just above Snakes and Ladders and spent most of the race there just trying different angles.

Thredbo always puts on great races and it’s always a chance to get away for a few days beforehand to explore the region. I’m already looking forward to our next visit down there.

All the images were supplied to the competitors for the Rollercoaster courtesy of Fox Racing Australia and BH Bikes. The downhill images were supplied by Redass.  Be sure and swing by their Facebook pages and say thanks. And of course to Rocky Trail Entertainment who brought it all together and put on yet another awesome weekend.

Posted by Richard in Bikes, Events
03
Mar
2015
Gravity Enduro Round 2: Del Rio

Gravity Enduro Round 2: Del Rio

 

Hot, dusty and mosquitoes is how I will remember last weekend’s Rollercoaster at Del Rio but also lots of fun. I said it before and I’ll say it again, dusty conditions may not make for the best of riding but they do make for good photographs.

Del Rio is out north west of Sydney near the town of Wiseman’s Ferry. Every time I go out there temperatures seem to be pushing up towards the 40C mark and this weekend was no exception. The hot conditions meant I was perspiring then sitting next to the track meant I got covered in dust.

It was quite a technical course in sections and I certainly saw a lot of people go down for a bit of a taste of the dirt. Thankfully all those that I saw jumped straight back up and rode off again.

The Rollercoaster series is probably my favourite to shoot at the moment as it is fast paced and challenging plus it offers riders a great range of courses. And with such a range means that we get to photograph a great range of obstacles.

 

Posted by Richard in Bikes, Events