Four Horsemen, Three Rapha Rain Jackets, and One “Fetality”

Published January 3rd, 2010 in Humor, Rides
My New Year's Day pilgrimage to Mt. Hamilton is normally a solitary affair but this year Brendan, Tim and Willy toed the start line for the climb to the observatory. Willy on his mint green Vanilla, Tim on his white Cervelo RS, Brendan astride the steel Soulcraft and yours truly on my Enigma. We rolled [...]

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Velodramatic’s First Video – The Ride to Vegas

Published November 9th, 2009 in Rides, Video
Specialized Susan G. Komen Ride for the Cure from velodramatic on Vimeo. Here it is, the first Velodramatic video. Shot over six days on the Specialized Ride to Vegas with Canon's 5D MKII and the Zacuto Marksman DSLR rig. My friend and Rapha videographer Dave Christenson made the best of my footage and gets the film [...]

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Shooting Video – The Thrill of Getting In Over Your Head

Published November 9th, 2009 in Cycling Photography, Rides, Video
When you're a kid getting in over your head is exciting. We all remember that first plunge into the deep end of a swimming pool. The cool shock of hitting the water and the exhilaration when your toes don't touch bottom. As we get older it's easy to forget that rush. I've been shooting [...]

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Levi’s Mean Streak Surfaces at the Granfondo

Published October 5th, 2009 in Humor, Rides
Levi Leipheimer has had us fooled for all these years. I don't know about you but I bought the whole soft-spoken nice guy image hook, line and sinker. On Saturday his Granfondo convinced me he's been hiding a mean streak... a dark, bitter secret that finally surfaced on the back roads of Sonoma County. I couldn't [...]

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Specialized Ride to Vegas – Cross Winds and Courage

Published October 4th, 2009 in Cycling Photography, Rides
It's not light yet. There's a breeze stirring the trees above Furnace Creek and a couple of sleepy crows are cawing halfheartedly about the coming day. They'd be wearing black again, a bad choice in one of the hottest places on earth. Much to my delight the Specialized peloton would be back in pink. There had [...]

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Specialized Ride to Vegas – Into the Furnace

Published October 2nd, 2009 in Cycling Photography, Rides
As the ride turned left towards Death Valley, the sun was just beginning to impose its will on a cloudless sky. For now its light fell softly on the plain and painted the hills in purples and ambers. The ribbon of asphalt stretched out to the East, and the peleton rode as one towards the [...]

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Specialized Ride to Vegas – Express Train to Lone Pine

Published September 30th, 2009 in Cycling Photography, Rides
Six thirty am and our encampment in front of the Cinnamon Bear Inn was fully engaged in the morning routine of food, gear, ablutions and bikes. Andy Schiffer was meticulously detailing machines with pink ribbon nameplates, tweaking shifting and generally checking the road worthiness of his flock. Riders circled back and forth to the Penske truck [...]

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Specialized Ride to Vegas – Yosemite to Mammoth Lakes

Published September 30th, 2009 in Cycling Photography, Rides
I dreamt fitfully about Yosemite a century ago, a quieter place before the tour buses and visitors in the millions descended on nature's great cathedral. Our night was full of sound: clanging bear-proof garbage cans; vehicles on the perimeter road; the mysterious rustling of little feet (racoons) and the muffled chatter of insomniacs. If there [...]

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Specialized Ride to Vegas – Lake McSwain to Yosemite

Published September 29th, 2009 in Cycling Photography, Rides
It was still pitch dark when the sound of pots and pans woke me up on Day two. Mark and the Western Spirit Crew were getting breakfast started. Their headlamps arced back and forth over the roof of my tent as I pulled on my trousers and shoes, grabbed a towel and headed to the [...]

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Specialized Ride to Vegas – Morgan Hill to Lake McSwain

Published September 27th, 2009 in Cycling Photography, Rides, Uncategorized
The Specialized van was fully loaded and ready to roll at 5:30 am. The photo gear had been checked and rechecked: three bodies; seven lenses; 2 tripods; 1 monopod; 2 magic arms; 60 GB of CF cards; laptop and 2 external backup drives; and enough neutral density filters to completely block out the sun. The [...]

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The Specialized Ride to Vegas – A Magnificent Journey

Published September 23rd, 2009 in Cycling Photography, Rides
Wednesday morning and it feels strange to be waking up in the opulent excess of my room at the Venetian. I'd gladly trade these digs for another day on the road with the Specialized/Western Spirit convoy that rode/traveled with grit, humor and style from Morgan Hill to Las Vegas over these last six days. It [...]

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Morning four… Midway to Vegas

Published September 20th, 2009 in Rides

No real internet connection to be had yet. First night we camped in single man tents by a lake. Group was knackered after 140 miles. Next night we roughed it at Housekeeping Camp in Yosemite vallley.
We’re in Mammoth Lakes preparing for a 105 mile day but the profile is for tons of descending. Yesterday [...]

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