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Apologies for the lack of posts this weekend, turns out it’s easy to forget about work when you’re out riding all day. I arrived in Portland on Thursday and got to pick up this beauty from Argonaut Cycles. There’s a long story behind this bike, which I’ll be sharing with you this week, so stay tuned. ‘Til then, all I’ll say is, man, riding Saltzman on a brand new bike is pretty rad…
Let me just preface this post by saying I wish I could show you more photos from the Giro New Road photo shoot. Even getting clearance for posting up these took a little bit of eye-batting and begging. But man, am I ever glad I got to share them.
Day 03 began as Ty, Jordan and I took off for the hills adjacent to our ranch. Super steep gravel climbs and windy singletrack was no challenge for Ty and Jordan as the sunlight broke through the trees. They just flowed through the rocky gravel as videographers and photographers tried to capture the essence of New Road. Later on, the afternoon was spent out on HWY 1 at the mouth of the Navarro River. Climbing up and down the hills, before grabbing lunch, and finally dinner.
Some of the photos shown here give you an idea of what Giro is going for in the New Road. But keep in mind, the details that make this line different from any other will be under wraps for now. Till then, enjoy these photos and don’t miss Ty’s crossie wall ride sequence!
I love this bike. Part road, part off road. The 44 Bikes Huntsman CX is a gravel grinder’s dream bike. Massive clearance on a 1×10 ready for anything. See more at the 44 Bikes Flickr.
The 2012 Rapha North West Gentlemen’s Race was a lot of fun to photograph and this video gives you some insight as to how grueling it was to participate. The teams started off, with a general idea of the course, since it’s a popular ride in Portland but finished not knowing what hit them. After 120 miles, they climbed 12,000′ of elevation. But man, that scenery! See more here, including photos and my coverage below.
Previously:
Recent Roll: The 2012 Rapha NW Gentlemen’s Race
Event Recap: The 2012 North West Rapha Gentlemen’s Race #RGR
I don’t like posting video submissions to contests (mostly because I don’t like being flooded with other submissions) but Erinn from Frontage Roads is a rad dude and I’d like to see him win this Salsa competition. Errin, you should be doing the Mt. Wilson fire road, not Griffith!
Shooting races with a 5D is easy compared to shooting with a Hasselblad. I finally got all my rolls developed from the 2012 Rapha NW Gentlemen’s Race and I’m very stoked on how they came out. This was the first real event I photographed with a medium format camera and it won’t be the last. Some of these came out incredible. For more information on the race, check out my last post on it for the rest of the photos, check out full photo set below.
Click on the above photo to launch the gallery, or here to open in a new tab.
This is a great event and I dig the registration requirement for the Almanzo 100. Check out this video and if it proves anything, you can be sure that 100 miles of gravel is no easy feat. Thanks to Ty from GSC for sharing.
Last year, the NW Rapha Gentlemen’s Race was one of my favorite events to document. There’s something classic about staring down a 200k, grueling, day’s-length ride and greeting it with acceptance, not anxiety. Each of the 26 teams this year were rolling fast and the course was even more epic’er than last year’s, totaling 122 miles and over 11,000′ of climbing.
The stage was Government Camp, Mt. Hood and included two loops through the countryside before ending with a gnarly 10 mile gravel climb. Reports came in of it being akin to a Civil War battlefield, with wheels and riders lining the road in shambles.
My day wasn’t nearly as painful, as I hopped in a support car and hung out of the window, taking what I could.
Click on the above photo to launch the gallery, or here to open in a new tab, also see the complete results below.
Dave Trimble’s Hatcher Pass Road / Offroad Race was last weekend. What sounded like a fun race turned into a grueling, muddy mess as rain settled in. There are a ton of photos up on Dave’s Flickr. Head over to check them out.
The 2012 Rapha NE Gentlemen’s Race was no joke. Over 120 miles and racking in over 13,000′ of elevation through the countryside of New Hampshire and Vermont. I don’t care, that shit looked fun.
And the award for the best race poster goes to…
Trimble Racing is proud to announce the Hatcher Pass Road Race to be held on August 4th, 2012. This unsanctioned 70 mile dirt road race will be contested through the beautiful wilderness of Alaska. The race will begin at the Trimble family cabin near the Independence Mine in the Talkeetna Mountains. After a neutral descent the race will start with a grueling two mile dirt climb up and over the famous Hatcher Pass. At the top of the pass riders will cross from the Palmer side to the Willow side plummeting down the Willow Fishhook Road, a long and technical gravel descent with endless switchback corners. After the nearly thirty mile descent the road levels for a few recovery miles. A checkpoint at the intersection of the Parks Highway marks the halfway point where the riders will turn around and start the long journey back to the Trimble cabin.
In a rush to get out the door to meet up for a ride this morning, I left my T4. So in lieue of 35mm, I took a lot more Instagram photos than I normally would. When I showed up at the coffee shop, I thought we’d maybe be doing like 20 miles. Shortly after, I realized we’d be in it for a haul today and with 50% of the course being dirt and gravel, it was gonna be fun.
We took off, climbed some, descended some, got a few flats and managed to avoid any wrecks. After a stop at the Reel Inn in Topanga, we headed home. Nothing like riding 20 miles through shit LA traffic and roads after hitting the dirt all morning. We totalled 60 miles and around 4,000′ and everyone had a blast, er, fun.
Check out more below.
When Andy from Fyxomatosis and I both decided to carry our cameras on a ride in the Australian bush, we thought we’d mix it up a bit with a “dueling banjos” photoset exchange. In other words, he’d post my photos and I’d post his, while we each told our side of the story (in two posts, here and here). It worked quite well but to showcase all of my photos, I’ve decided to re-up them, just in time for the weekend. This was the most intense ride I’ve ever been on. Two days, over 220 miles and over 20,000′ of climbing on both sealed and rocky terrain. All self-supported and on cross bikes. Bugga!
Look, I don’t care where you live, going on rides like this can happen (almost) anywhere. Granted, you might not find a Lace Monitor lizard dead in the road, 200 miles outside of your town…
Click on the above photo to launch the gallery, or here to open in a new tab.
Newcastle Fixed Gear brings the ‘Wizard and some FGFS off-road action with Daniel Fee.
Photos by Andy White
Gah. I miss Melbourne. Luckily, Andy’s ability to do brutal rides and still carry a camera make me feel like I was there. He’s also becoming quite the linguist.
“From a frosty start through the fog, to a glorious finish in golden light, The Dirty Gran Fondo served up a boggy delight.”
Check out more from the Dirty Gran Fondo at Fyxo.
This weekend, the last thing I was thinking about was Tour of the Battenkill. Referred to as “America’s Queen of the Classics”, Battenkill is a grueling course, filled with dirt, gravel and any other excuse for a road covering found around Cambridge, New York. For those data-seekers, here’s the Pro Cat 1 / Cat 2 course and here’s the UCI course, where these photos were taken. Bottom line is: this is a grueling race and while I’ve yet to attend, Andrew Franciosa did a great job photographing the event. See for yourself below.
Check out more by clicking the photo above or here to open in a new tab.
All Photos by Andy White
After the first day’s journey into Jamieson, Shifter Dan, Andy and I awoke with empty stomachs and loose legs. A quick breakfast and a chat with some locals, sent us on our way to Licola and then Rosedale. Compared to day 01, day 02 was hell. Each of us broke at some point in the day, which was fine. It’s when everyone breaks at once that you’re screwed.
Within the first 20 miles or so, we were climbing up the Jamieson-Licola road range. Sealed quickly turned to jeep trail and jeep trail disintegrated to seasonal fire roads. You could tell not many people ventured through these parts by bike. In the end, bad decisions on day one, brought about the inevitable. As per the last post, Andy has my photos up with his words at Fyxomatosis.
Check out more below!
All Photos by Andy White
Andy from Fyxomatosis and I did something a little different this time around. He’s posting my photos and dictating over them and I, his. We loosely are calling this the Dueling Banjos. So here’s my side of the saddle:
When I found out I would be returning to Australia, Andy asked if I wanted to go on one of he and Dan from Shifter Bike‘s “epic” rides out through Woods Point. I’ve been following Fyxomatosis, since forever, so I knew what that meant. This was a man’s ride. A no holds-barred, dirt and hurt ride. Since doing my tour, I have stayed in the saddle. I had the base miles underneath me but did I have the ability to keep up with Dan and Andy? Nervously, I accepted the invite and the day before we left, Dan took my Milwaukee Orange One into Shifter Bikes for a cleaning.
We left that morning and met Andy in Lilydale. We rode along the Warburton Rail Trail, through flea markets and eventually stopped in Warburton for breakfast. Canadian pancakes, a long black, fresh juice and some pastries. As we were leaving the cafe, I thanked Dan for cleaning my bike, to which he replied “thank me in 30 minutes”…
