The Canadian National MTB Championship Course

I went up to Hardwood Hills to shoot this about a week ago, it's finally online at PedalMag.com so I'm adding a direct link to it here as well.

I also spent some time with race organizer Glenn Meeuwisse talking about the changes and the thinking behind them.

Stretching A Little

I've said all along that my focus is cycling, that combining my passions of photography and cycling is central to the thought of what I'm interested in.

Well...
Then writing came along. Still with a cycling focus but a big step out of my comfort zone (Andrea is my comma splice cop! I need one as I abuse that all the time). So I thought perhaps I should see if other photo opportunities exist and decided to follow through on a local thing...

The 2014 FIFA Women's World Championship takes place in and around Toronto this year. I have my AIPS credentials (Sports Media) so maybe I could attend. I asked...

Dear FIFA Media Channel User,
We confirm that you have been given access to the FIFA Media Channel 

Yup the sound of a door opening! It will be interesting to see where this goes, I don't have high expectations but it's a very interesting venue. And no, I don't want to discuss either FIFA or the UCI... governing bodies and athletes as well as the people who love the sport are miles apart in both arenas. Sadly.

Well, that happened and I like that a door opened a little wider. With the Toronto2015 Pan-Am games coming up it feels good to stretch my wings. I expect that photographing different sports is easier than writing about them... we'll see. I do know that having an intimate knowledge of the athletes and participants is crucial to making it work. So we'll see about that.

I also like having the opportunity to capture the upcoming Canadian MTB Championships!

This event was the first one I dared go to last year, the first day out I covered it without even using a neck brace despite it only being a week or so since being free of my halo. I learned my lesson and was more cautious the next day. I'm looking forward to seeing what I can deliver this year now that I'm more active and mobile!

The decisive moment in the 2013 Nat's...

I'll resist using any hashtag for all of this, and simply say:
Exciting!

Lake Champlain, Wilmington and 2015

Three themes evolved over the past week which revolved around another trip in my camper. This was a shorter one though as it was "only" 1,100 miles in total to upstate New York and back. The reason for going was a bike race that Andrea wanted to compete in. She's been moving away from the local short race scene as it's not as much fun as it used to be. Instead, longer enduro and epic events are becoming more interesting to her. So she signed up for the Wilmington Whiteface 100 which is a 100 km race (actually 108km) along gravel roads, a little pavement and some singletrack. All of this in the Adirondacks so you know there was some serious climbing involved.

That was the reason for the trip. It isn't the full story though as we headed down a week before the race to enjoy some time away. I had originally booked us into the nearby KOA for the week but Andrea said she wanted to spend some time relaxing on the shores of Lake Champlain. She found a campsite that looked promising at Crown Point State Park near the bottom of the lake so we juggled reservations and plans and fit it all together.

Andrea, Perry & Cooper

First up was a Father's Day / birthday visit with her dad and Karen along with John and his family. It was a beautiful day with much of it spent in or around their pool. In the morning it was a long slow drive under Lake Ontario as we made our way to Crown Point. It was an uneventful drive other than the naps resulting from a crappy sleep for Andrea.

We spent much of the week in the same spot, only driving up to Burlington once on the Tuesday and then not even starting Babe until it was time to pack up and go to Wilmington. I won't recommend the campground as it's nothing special, has no particular services worth mentioning and is next to the southern bridge across the lake so it has a lot of traffic. But if you do go... book the lean-to site. It's the only one that has even a hint of privacy. Of course compared to the KOA we moved to next it was spacious so who am I to complain!

One note:I never would have expected to find a bronze cast by Auguste Rodin in a place like this. That was a real treat...

Look for the Rodin signature...

One thing that didn't work out was getting a new bike rack. I've been trying to find a better way to carry bikes on Babe and have tried to figure out a hitch-based solution but haven't found one that works for me. For my birthday Andrea offered to get the Fiamma rack designed to fit the back hatch of a Vanagon and I thought that was awesome so once we got into the States she tried to order it from BusDepot as they had them on sale. The plan was to order it, have it shipped to a friend in Underhill VT and use that as a reason to get together for a lunch or dinner. Sadly they were out of stock. I told Andrea to hold off and let Guy know it wasn't happening... too bad, I was excited about that upgrade!

Instead I spent the time camped doing some minor changes and upgrades. Plus reading... it's been a while since I felt like just sitting and reading for hours. Two books later I am quite thrilled with having the time and using it this way :)

An upgrade I'd been working to get the nerve to do was installing the screen door for the slider. I bought it last year, and have tried a few options to get it in. The challenge is that it requires drilling holes into my lovely camper and I was really reluctant to do that. I looked at ways to use magnets, ways to modify the screen door to align with existing screw holes, and every possibility I could come up with. In the end I got out the drill and carefully found the right places. I'm very VERY happy with the result. Having proper bug netting there makes things a lot better.
Friday came and with its arrival we packed up and relocated to Wilmington in preparation for the race on Sunday. It was a short drive to get there which meant we arrived well before the 3pm check-in time. They offered to let us in early if we donated $5 / hour to a charity box they had. It was 10am, that would have been almost the cost of an extra night so we declined and headed in to Lake Placid to shop and take care of Andrea's slow leak in her rear tire. I'll skip all the gory details of back and forth and delay this or gotta do that... in the end it meant a new tire. A last minute change a day before a big race is never recommended but in this case it was too late to avoid. Let's just say we spent more on this than if we'd camped early.

With a group of 7 racers and their partners and children we had a great group together. This of course meant some pub grub and get together. And with another Westy owner in the group we had company at the campsite (all of the others were wimps and opted for motels in Lake Placid).  Gonna have to fix that before Leadville!

Ready

Eventually Sunday morning came and it was race time! The start was at 7am so all of the racers were up early having breakfast around 5:30. I opted to relax and eventually strolled out to the road where the race would pass the campground just after 7. I published a few photos to Facebook, then I went back to working on the magazine article I'd been trying to finish (which I submitted earlier today, there will be two pieces of mine in the next Pedal magazine). I had hours to work on it before heading to the finish area and it started to come together nicely. Then I hopped on my bike to get some finish line shots. I've seen some beat-up riders at the end of a race before, never like this though. Pained. Drained. Destroyed. Any yet there were still smiles of accomplishment. It's a brutal race and everyone who dared start deserves recognition. Finishing is an extra accomplishment and getting a good time is awesome.

The post-race activities went on for a long time and that's because there are coins that get handed out which entitle the recipient to enter the Leadville 100...

I'll describe that in another entry. For now I'll just say that leading up to August 2015 I'll be driving Babe across the States to get to Leadville. Andrea got offered a spot on the startline and took it. Let the training begin!

Each coin is a place on the startline of the Leadville 100

Andrea with Rebecca Rusch

Sip UBU Sip

Canadian Cyclists & Doping: My Thoughts Today

I read the exclusive update that Velonews published after the end of the Giro (posted to their website on June 2nd) with Ryder Hesjedal talking for the first time in more detail than a press release about his past doping transgressions:

Exclusive: Hesjedal speaks about past doping offenses

I was glad to see the storyline, I think it's long overdue. Having read it, honestly I'm still not sure what I think about it. I've been taking my time to formulate a response, and I expect you'll find it as inconclusive as the overall story.

What Do We Know?

Hesjedal didn't talk much about what took place back in the days when he was learning things from Rasmussen; very few facts came out when he acknowledged it and not much more is known now despite his exclusive with VN. Like many other journalists I tried to get more insight into what happened and what the impact was. I found the most sincere insights came from other Canadian cyclists who were affected by the actions of riders like Hesjedal. A number of them were published online via PedalMag.com and you can find them from riders like Bauer and Kabush here, as well as Pendrel, Parisien & Watson. Good honest commentary, nothing from the folks outed by Rasmussen other than pre-scrubbed responses though. 

The print article I worked on was less rushed and being able to talk to people like Svein Tuft, USADA, Jonathan Vaughters and others for hours gave me some deeper insights from team and peloton but not really a lot more from Hesjedal. I still feel the same way despite his saying things like "It’s not everyone’s right to know all the details in these types of matters" in the VN piece. My opinion is very different... I think being more detailed in responding is in fact required. I can guess at why he's reserving his rights, I'd rather he say what those reasons are or just share the details.

Canadian, Eh?

Having interviewed Michael Barry on the same doping topic, I find the two story lines radically different and I'm less inclined to accept what feels like obfuscation from Hesjedal. When I asked Barry about personal details like how he hid it from his wife there was no tone of deception in his voice. He made it clear that she knew and accepted his right to decide that (and he was equally clear to not to imply Didi approved... just that he did what he did). I get no such sense of honesty from anything Hesjedal has shared yet. And to be clear, Hesjedal has not accepted any opportunity to talk to me since this became public so I only have what's published to go by. I'm just sayin'... talking to any/all/even little guys like me journos give some credibility to whatever is shared. And being Canadian does have some implications...

I get the sense that there are more results at risk for Hesjedal than Barry with more candid answers and can't help but wonder if that might hint at motives. I can only guess though. And wonder about why. The VN piece includes some important comments from Vaughters on the topic and I agree completely... "tell the truth and it’s six months if it’s within statute of limitations. If you lie, it’s a lifetime ban.’ [To suggest] that he might have lied about later years, is a bit ridiculous". Coming out, being honest is hard at the best of times. Still, it leaves room for questions and I wonder who needs to address that. I think the community that thrives on cycling is wondering, not just me.

Does Timing Matter?

The VN piece touches on the timing of the USADA interview, I looked into that too. As well as the investigations by the Canadian equivalent (CCES). They both described a timeline that's consistent with what VN has reported on. And I got a very clear indication that this is still an ongoing investigation, which can only be taken to say that Hesjedal, Barry and lots of others are only pawns in a game that seems to be aimed at one Lance Armstrong. He certainly seems to have a huge target painted on his chest... hard to imagine he didn't have a big part to play in putting it there though. As for the timing... well I am unconvinced as there aren't enough facts in front of me.

The story's evolution doesn't excuse the lack of facts... we're now talking about revelations that were front and center in late 2012 after years of preamble. They flared up again about the same time in 2013 with Rasmussen's book and Hesjedal's outing. And we're already into June 2014 without much more being answered.

So I have to ask: who's holding us back from learning the full story?

Back to Covering Bike Races

This weekend had back-to-back races and I was able to get out to them both and shoot my first events of 2014.

I'll start by saying it feels great to be back. Got to see lots of people I haven't seen in a while, get caught up a little, and practice my "art". And it was tiring... each event was about 5 hours long plus travel time. And then the post-processing.

Saturday's race was an cross-country marathon that's part of the series hosted by Dan Marshall of Substance Projects. With an 11AM start for the full marathon (and 11:30 for the 1/2), pre-race time and travel it meant being on the road around 8. Andrea was racing this one so we needed time for her to get registered and go through her customary pre-race jitters but we ended up getting to the Ganaraska Forest area well ahead of schedule. We drove around the area a little hoping to find some fresh local asparagus (struck out) and then headed to the start. Bad planning on my part... we were in the camper and had everything we needed to be able to make coffee except: yes, coffee. So we socialized :)

I put up a few photos on Facebook and published around two hundred photos to my website. Here's a sample:

And here's the link to my full gallery: http://kraikerphoto.com/2014_Long_Sock_Classic_g338.html

Then on Sunday it was the SCCC's Niagara Classic road race which features the Effingham climb as it's main feature. I've raced this course and know how hard that climb is from personal experience, although it used to be at the end of each lap and was the place the race was decided when I did it. Not that I was anywhere near that end of the pack! The past two editions have had the climb at the start of the lap with the finish line on a smaller road that is easier for the organizers to control for the finish. It still has a bit of a kicker up to the line and after all the laps up "F-ing-Ham" even that would put a bite in everyone's legs.

This event was my first official assignment of the year, and my gallery went online earlier today at PedalMag.com, here's the link...
http://pedalmag.com/niagara-classic-2014-race-report-and-photos/

One of the teaser photos I put on FB is of the RealDeal women scoring a big win, it was a great race for them and they had some tough competition.

And to wrap it up, here's the link to my gallery:
http://kraikerphoto.com/2014_Niagara_Classic_RR_g339.html

Next up will be the Mansfield MTB O-Cup this coming Sunday, I plan on riding the course in advance so I can see what it's like (and just have a little fun on the bike).

When I uploaded the photos to my website I realized how few events I'd been to in 2013. It feels great to be back.

RVV! The Second Monument in the Cycling Calendar

Ahhhh.... the Tour of Flanders, what a route! And what a race. This year looks like it will be "kind" from a weather perspective, the cobbles will be as hard and harsh as ever though!

It's now 4 years since I rode them, the memory of the route is still very much etched in my mind! And I "only" did around 75km of it, Andrea did more than twice that. It's not how long though, it's which part... and all of our riding was on the sharp and nasty final half... totally unforgiving.

Photos I've seen from the cyclo-sportif event today (the Saturday before the race) suggest it was cool but dry, great riding weather. The forecast is for more of the same so it won't be slick cobbles that decide the race, it's up to the hardest riders to turn the screws themselves. May the best win the day!

Here are a few pics from 2010... Boonen outside the hotel before the race.
Me.
And the two men who made it a race, at the moment they broke the spirit of the rest of the pack (this photo was published on velonews.com within minutes of it happening).

2013 Cyclocross Season Wrap-up

While I didn't get to cover much of the cycling season this year I feel like it did end on a high note and I'll take as a positive sign for the season to come.

On top of my own distractions there was also the late-season doping revelations that took some of the fun out of it. I'm not surprised, just disappointed that yet more Canadians are being shown to be dopers. Still... I'm optimistic about the future of the sport, keep an eye on the next issue of Pedal magazine where I expect to have an article published about it reflecting my opinions and those of others in the cycling scene here.

But back to the topic at hand... CX.

I made it to most of the local races, missed a couple because of conflicts or the fact that the camper is now in hibernation for the winter but I was at the majority of them. For the most part the weather was too good. Hardwood presented me with the opportunity to get dramatic photos while the Baseball Cross delivered some good deep and sloppy mud shots as usual.

Last year around this time I was formulating plans to get to Louisville for the Worlds. No such luck this year, I have wrapped up my season and will start it up again in the spring. Which means I'll spend the next month or 2 sorting out my calendar to see what events I'll be covering. I'm hoping to be much more active in 2014.

I'll let my images speak for themselves though... first up is a video of images taken on the GoPro I've been using as a trail-side extra. I like the ability to use my iPhone as a monitor and remote to trigger it, there are some problems with the app/iOS7/4S combination I have though as it drains the battery way too fast. I actually think it's not that the battery is drained but that something is making iOS7 think it is. Either way it means I have to use it selectively. So here's my selection... hope you like the tune too!

I'll follow that up with a small gallery of select photos from the events, many of which have been posted to FB. The larger galleries are on my KrakerPhoto.com website, as usual. Hope you like them...

First Drive, First Photo Shoot Since April

It felt really good to get out for the weekend.

This past weekend was the Canadian National Mountain Bike Championships up at Hardwood Hills and it marked my return to being a snapper. I wasn't able to get up for the Eliminator on Thursday but did have the pleasure of covering the Elite races on Saturday and the Sport, Relay and Expert races on Sunday. I also got to drive Babe, now that I don't have to wear a collar. That was very liberating.

And I finally got to see my mom, to give her a hug and spend a little time together as we stayed overnight on Saturday. I know it's been very hard on her to be apart for so long and finally getting a visit meant a lot. You won't have to wait 4 months for the next visit mom!

I didn't move around to get the broad coverage I usually do, I was being careful and feeling the effects of 3 months of inactivity. My shoulders still hurt today from carrying all the camera gear. I still managed to get some great shots, including this sequence of the winning move in the elite men's race that saw Derek Zandstra pull away to lead for the final lap and take his first national title.

DZ gets in front just before Boneshaker

Kabush lets his teammate get a gap

Plaxton has to do all the work to try and close it down

I haven't sorted all of the photos from the weekend but will get through them over the next couple of evenings. One of the other sequences I like is of Andrea in Boneshaker. This was her first time racing it and she did great all three times through it.

And to wrap it up, I put together a short video of post-race interviews. I made a point of seeing what I could find out about the tactics used by the Scott 3Rox trio.

Down to nothing but finals @ Louisville

All the prep is over, now it's finals (and a few consolation races).

The weather came in as predicted, sirens and PA systems warning everyone that there were tornadoes. And lots of rain and wind. For the CX Master Worlds it meant a beat up course (waterlogged and wind ravaged) that needed a 2 hour delay to the start. Then it was a mudfest like I haven't seen in years. So, I'll let a few pictures tell the story. And I'm happy to report that all the Canadians I know made it to the finals.

Paul

About to splash down

The second run-up

Heading to Louisville...

I had originally planned to head to Louisville for this coming Friday, to cover the Elite CX races on the weekend. Instead I'm heading down on Tuesday and will be covering the Masters races as well as the Elite. It will be my first time visiting Kentucky too so I'm glad to have almost a full week to explore. I won't be taking the camper though; this trip will be one of the few I will be staying in a hotel.

This is the first time the Cyclocross World  Championships are being held outside of Europe...  definitely a big deal and I"m glad to have the opportunity to cover it. I'll be doing some video interviews, pre-race photos and then the usual race coverage. All with a focus on the Canadian who are competing. In total there are 18 elite racers and about a dozen masters.

It will be interesting to see how the North Americans do against the squads coming over from Europe. Last year the Belgians took the top 7 places in the elite men's race! Having said that, it's disappointing that the field will be so small... a lot of countries didn't send over full contingents and I hear there will only be 45 racers in the elite men's category. I hope that's not true but we'll see soon enough.

Emily Batty will head up the Canadian Women's team

Mike Garrigan (red helmet) will be in Louisville too

First Magazine Cover

I found out about this a few weeks ago and it came as quite a surprise. Today I got to see what the cover looks like and it was still a huge surprise even though I knew it was coming. So without further ado here's what it looks like. This photo is from the Pedal Magazine Facebook page.

On newsstands soon, the latest issue of PEDAL

The cover photo they used is one I took in September 2012 at the GPCQM Worldtour race in Quebec, one of the last professional races for Michael Barry. At the time the focus was on his upcoming retirement so I made a point of getting some good photos of him as well as doing an interview about his retirement. Then USADA shook the world of cycling apart and Michael was the prominent Canadian in their revelation (that was October). Much media attention, the "Lance story" got huge focus and all the major media outlets wanted people to talk. Pro cyclists including Michael were busy for a while, pundits expressed opinions and interviews were happening all over the place with lots of noise and static. It took a while for the real facts to emerge.

In November I followed up with an in-depth interview with Michael for the issue, talking with him by Skype over a couple of days and then working on the article with a tight deadline. This led to me submitting a number of photos for Pedal to use along with the piece but there was never any discussion about the cover. Until I got a phone call asking for me to check and revise my bio. They would be running it in the Contributors section as my article, a number of my photos and my shot on the cover would all be featured. Quite a rush!

It was no a small feat getting there though. The interview almost didn't happen in time; I have Michael to thank for both making the time and for being so candid and open in our extended conversation. Then there was the matter of getting it crafted into a meaningful piece under 3,000 words (much longer than any I'd done before). My first draft was meandering and not up to my standards. Andrea put her editorial hat on and used a lot of red ink on it, making some great (and challenging) suggestions on directions I could take with it to make it much better. I tossed out the first draft and started over with her good ideas alongside the story I was imagining in my mind.

The piece went in about a week after I started trying to get time with Michael, 2,750 words when I was done and featured on the cover as "Michael Barry Confesses" (not my title). If you read it I'd be interested in hearing what you think. I enjoy writing, it doesn't come as naturally as photography though so don't be too hard on me : - )

My contribution: I expect there will be about 4 pages for the piece I wrote, around 8 photos, the bio, and the cover. I guess I should keep a copy of this issue?

A very nice Christmas present to receive...

Mud

What would a cyclocross race be if it didn't have mud? While the provincial championships was run on a mostly flat, mostly dry course there was one section that was anything but flat and dry. I've put up a small gallery on Facebook and a larger gallery on my website. Here are a few shots just focused on where the bike makes contact with the ground...

Yet more photos

And of a bike race no less, imagine that.

I got some very positive feedback on the digital enhancements I did for a small gallery from the previous race so I went with the same adjustments for a larger set. I didn't use it for all of them as I wanted viewers to be able to compare the natural look with the modified one. You can take a tour through the gallery on my website, meanwhile here are a few photos for your viewing pleasure.

 

Cyclocross season is well under way

I missed a few of the early races, finally got to cover my first one last weekend and I thought I got a few very good photos. I have a full gallery up on my site and a select gallery went up on PedalMag.com.

I also put a few up on Facebook and that gallery is one of the few that I spent  significant time to tailor the images to reflect the mood of the event. Generally I have tried to keep the images closer to being visually accurate. Of all of the sets, I think that's the one that worked best so I may experiment with that level of manipulation a little more over the rest of the season (which wraps up with the CX World Championships in Kentucky in February). We'll see what mood tomorrow's race will inspire.

Anyhow... here are a few of the digitally enhanced images that went into my FB gallery. Let me know what you think of the effect.