Showing posts with label photography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label photography. Show all posts

22 April 2011

Photo Caption Contest: We Have a Winner!

We may be serious about riding, but we're just as serious about having fun while doing it. So when photographer Dave Roth captured BicyclingHub.com staff member Adrian Richardson climbing College St., an infamous hill ranging between 18-21% grade during the brutal non-organized annual event known as Ronde PDX this past Sunday, we knew it was too good to keep to ourselves.


We posted the photo to our Facebook community and held a photo caption contest, with the most clever caption slated to win a FREE Park Tool Multi-Tool (a $23.99 value) to get them out of future jams. CONGRATULATIONS to Bruce Corman for his cleverly-phrased winning caption of Dave Roth's Ronde PDX photo: "This cool jersey with the wings really does make me go faster!" With Adrian currently racing in Cat 2 with plans to upgrade, it may very well be true.

Other entries that deserve honorable mention:

Paul A. Landry: "Must ... keep ... breathing...."

Katie Bartel: "Sure glad this isn't the Amstel Gold Race and I'm not Ryder Hesjedal pulling a Tom 'Poo'nen!"

Steve Shoell: "Hey look something shiny!"

Mary Himlin: "Who was that masked woman?"

Doug Glondeniz: "Hey. Wait for me!"

Eric Hunter: Having rode the Ronde on Sunday, I can honestly say that there's nothing PG that would come out of my mouth.

Brian Lucas: "You're not getting away this time Lance!"

Karolyn Ellis: ‎"I'm gonna win...I'm gonna win!"

Mike Kiefer: ‎"Are you kidding me! I have been lapped by a 15 year old!"

Kevin Milligan: "SQUIRREL!"

Joanne Jaretsky Norris: "Hey, that girl up ahead of me has a nice tush. Maybe I can catch up."

Kevin Ross: "I gonna look good in the Polka Dot jersey."

Chris De Farcut: "By day, Mr Average. On Bike, I AM LEGENNDDD!"

Steve Gumz-Manome: "I think I can...I think I can...I think I can!"

Matthew Bloom: "Can you hear me now?

Bryan Gibbon: "Ha! Just 500 meters to the descent!!!"

David Kirk: "I have played follow the leader before, but this is ridiculus, I think they are now stalking me!!"

Peter Koonce: "so this is what 23 percent grade looks like!"

Patty Brun: "Anyone have any spare gears to share?"

Dave Campbell: "DAMN, my legs are white! Spring in the Northwest, baby!"

Al Cassel: "Do these gloves make me look fat?"

Susen Marie: "If he was in Montana...the caption would be....wonder if i can sprint past that bear???

If you haven't "liked" us yet on our Facebook, be sure to give us the thumbs-up and stay in the loop regarding future sales, special promotions, fun contests and cycling-related news!

Special thanks to photographer Dave Roth for his permission to use the above photo. He captured well over 300 images on that beautiful spring day, which you can view here.

14 April 2011

Death Valley Century

A photo essay from guest Blogger Helen Steussy of The Flight Continues


Why

would

a

Mother

and

Daughter...









bike

across...









Death

Valley...















...together?











Maybe...



we were

trying

to

capture...









...a bit

of the

magic...











...from
last
summer's
bike
ride....









...across

America.







It
was
magical
last
summer...






seeing

the

grandeur

of

America....






and

the

charm...









from

the

seat

of my

Serotta.










For

50 days...











and

3,060

miles...







we

rode

with

ABB...







and

50

strangers

who

became...




...our

greatest

friends.






Together

we

faced
bridges

in

Michigan...







tunnels

in

Wisconsin....








Wyoming

Mountains...








Vermont

Hills...








Idaho

Rivers...





and



Oregon

Deserts....










Heat










Cold











Rain








Wind










and

Hail...












And it

was the

most

magical

time...








...of

our

lives!






Now


9 months

later...








we are

hungry

to taste

again...







the

magic

of

the road.









It's not

just us.






Others

from that

50 day

journey







ache

to

remember...




Some

plan

to join together

this spring

to ride

the Natchez Trace






Others

will meet

in Colorado

for a

shared ride.





Gerard

just

posted

his tattoo




Dan

wants

one, too!



(He just

stopped

by Indy

to see me for

breakfast)






Todd

just

announced

a sabbatical

from his

work




so

he can

bike

again

across a

country.



(he won't say

which one)



Al

and I

yearn

so much...







...to live

again

in that

mystical

realm




where

all that

matters

is

the wind...













...and

the rain.







So

February



for her

birthday...








...I

meet Al

in

Death Valley...




...to bike

100 miles

with

Adventure Corps.




Our warm-up

ride

Thursday

was

delightful.




Bright blue skies.


Gentle breeze.



Soft,

sunny,

warm!





Saturday -

the day

of the

century -



was

BRUTAL!










Cold!






Cruel

head wind!






Sand

and grit

blasting

into our

faces!







Why

do we

do this?!





Shoulders

hunch

against

the gale.







I huddle

behind

my daughter.



Squinting

my face

into the

storm



My pedal

cadence

is stiff

One

stroke

at

a

time.





My Cat-eye

must be

broken!



It

barely

moves!






We

finally

reach

the first stop -



Badwater -








"I'm done!"



I announce.






Time for

this Mom

to

head

back....






to hotel...



car...



camera...



comfort...


I've

faced

Death Valley

and

"No thanks!"



Not today.







Besides

I'm slowing

Al down.





Her only

chance

to make it

is to leave me

behind!






My journey

back

is not easy.

Blue skies

surround

me...



But there's

white-out

ahead!


Is it rain?

snow?

sleet?







Dang!



It's dust!






That damned wind

has circled

back

to blast me

on the way

home!





I creep,

crawl

and

struggle





one

mileage

sign

at

a

time.






collapse

at

mile

2...








...where

a Dutch angel

picks me up





and whisks

me back

to safety!





I leap in

the car

and rush out

to

rescue Al!




I find her

- ready

to bonk -



at mile 45.






- Go for it, Al!

- I'll pick you up

when you're

ready

to drop!









What a trooper!




So while

she faces

wind

dust

and

extreme fatigue...





I take
pictures....














....of
Death Valley
flowers...















...and

fellow

hard-core

cyclists.






When I find

Al again


she has

found

new friends...




Kevin
and Marc
help her battle
the winds
of Death Valley.

(They only
had a tailwind
for 7 miles).



I watch

cyclists

push

to the

limits...








...of

human

endurance...

















sometimes...






with

a

smile

(?)








...and

I say

- Yes!










This is it!




































This is

the magic...









...of biking!

















This is

the magic...

...of life!




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