September 9th, 2010

Tranent Triathlon0
neil posted in Photos, bikes, 5Dmk2 on March 24th, 2010

Sunday was spent crouching on a windy hill far outside Tranent. I hate reams of identical pictures, shot from a fixed position, the “insert rider here” images that result from unimaginative race photography. However I had too much stuff and was too far from any other good location to move. The mantra in my head was pure Joe McNally “Do your re-shoot now, if you are long go wide, mix it up”. The situation was too backlit to use ambient light effectively so my aperture was tied to my strobe. I had to build variety by changing lenses and composition. Teleconverting my 70-200mm and going to 16mm for the other extreme. It was’nt a peaceful afternoon and there were a lot of experiments that did’nt work out, however I was much happier with the pictures in post than when I was making them.

O Me of Little Faith0
neil posted in Photos, bikes, Neil, Sports, 5Dmk2 on March 16th, 2010

I’d left Dave (Zzathras) and Dave (Davefitch) further down the hill and headed upwards through the forest. The pack and head in my backpack making me sweat through the Buffalo that had been cold back in the flat. The juniours were descending already and I had’nt found a worthy spot. I wanted views, distance and perspective. Just to wet my whistle (and rest my legs) I set the head up and made a few exposures of the first juniour riders at an “ok” looking corner. Camera hard against the ground to keep the course tape out of the way, focus locked and panning. I cursed myself for a lazy fool and packed the kit up again to resume climbing to the vantage point I was sure awaited. Why was I wasting my time with this “small fry” stuff, I should be making “epic” pictures somewhere! In hindsight, of course, I much preferred these images to some of the epics I tried to set up. It was too soon I reached the top of the course, empty handed and sweating so I could’nt see through my glasses. There was no epic vantage point. I tried one location slightly further down and got peanuts. Frustrated, I decided to go with the only shot I had in my head. At the very bottom of the course was a well built jump sure to attract spectators. I could light the jumping rider and pull back to include the fans.
When I got there, I discovered fans were thin on the ground, but I was knackered and out of lucozade and haribo. Screw it, I would work the angles and try to find a picture.
The result: Meh. However I’m “inspired” to keep lugging that darn light to other DH races and see if I can do better.

Sheer bloody persistence0
neil posted in Photos, bikes, Neil, 5Dmk2, Night on February 25th, 2010

I had this photograph in my head for months. Every time we rode to this staircase on the way out to the Pentlands, I would poke myself about it. I was certain there was a good picture to be made. I tried a few times to get myself and another party out there for a shoot, but it was only last night I succeeded. This is a pretty frequent occurance, finding a location or visualising a photograph long before it can be taken. They don’t always work out, angles don’t always fall the way you remember them and locations can lose their magic in the wrong light. This was’nt quite the photo I originally imagined, the light was far better than I had remembered and fell perfectly for the lighting technique I used.

I used my big Elinchrom Ranger pack, tucked into my bag with the head on a tripod on a steep and greasy slope. The final photograph used a gridded reflector to allow the Exposure Enduro on the bike’s handlebars to fill the bottom of the scene. I got focus by getting Simon to shine the light in his face until I managed to dial in the manual focus (using live view). The staircase was otherwise pitch black, preventing the orange sodium lights contaminating the bike’s light or the flash light.

The thing that really made the photo possible, however, was the titular persistence. Simon rode the staircase about twenty times, tirelessly wheeling his bike back up the staircase, stopping halfway so I could check focus and then cheerfully repeating. Only once did he stumble on the descent, but that landed him nearly over the wall. Each time I needed to change the power of the flash I had to run a steep marathon of brambles, thorns and a slick slope which could only be climbed by lunging for tree stumps near its summit and clawing up through the snow and mud. This process took around five minutes, the flash power was changed three times and its pocketwizard ran out of battery once. The exposure was made by bending backwards over the wall and tucking the camera hard onto my left shoulder. It was only marginally possible to see through the viewfinder. We tried triggering the flash while Simon was partway down the descent, but it seems easier to find him in the top image. One hundred and fourty eight exposures were made over two hours for the images you see here. I’m glad we made them, it is good to get them out of my head.

Mud & moonlight0
neil posted in Photos, bikes, Neil, 5Dmk2 on February 11th, 2010

Night riding in Newtongrange with a local guide. We found more top quality singletrack in the first five minutes of this weeks ride than in all of the previous weeks 16km slog. This was thanks, in no small part, to our local guide Steven who risked not doing the dishes to show us around his neighbourhood trails.
I tried a different approach to photography this week and packed a heavier, slower kit arrangment than usual. Two flashes, pocketwizards and two small tripods. This arrangment took about 3 or 4 minutes to set up and meter. The principle was roughly the same as with the Innerleithen shoot, only night-time allowed smaller flashes to be used.
Night ride kit
The lights were backed off and snooted so they cast a “textured” light that passed through trees and other obstacles, giving a more textured, shadowy look. The two light sources were set so that they should fill each others shadows, softening the light and making it appear more natural. Blue gels were added to both flashes to give an impression of ultra-strong moonlight. I wound up backing this off in post-processing, and am still undecided about the effect. The actual shooting on the ride went differently to the plan. The first shot of the evening was a sketchy muddy chute (tremendous fun) which I shot using the exposure enduro on my handlebars and ambient light.
The closest I came to what I had pre-visualised is the first image of this post. I’d like to try this setup on a rootier section or on something that lends itself to a night-time landscape. I’m intrigued by the idea of manufactured moonlight.. can you tell?

Innerleithen winter series: round 1, practice0
neil posted in Photos, bikes, Neil, phototech, 5Dmk2 on January 31st, 2010

All shot using my Elinchrom Ranger pack. The sheer power of the pack meant I could back the light well away from the track and work wider in a larger area of light. It also meant I could light dark areas of forest though sufficient clutter to give the impression of dappled sunlight. Care was taken to ensure the light was nowhere near the riders line of sight, lighting from the side or rear.  It took about the same time to rig as a single speedlight and the pack and head fitted well in my camera bag. Using the pocketwizard ttl’s delay setting I could reliably get a flash synch of 1/320th and 1/400th (with the shutter effect in the above and below images), much better than the native synch of 1/200th and the speedlight synch of 1/250th. This sort of increase is very valuable when working with fast moving downhillers.
The temperature hovered sufficiently close to zero to harden the track. Areas of heavy braking were being polished to a disconcerting lacquered mud finish, featuring the asthetics of common mud and the friction of an ice rink. The practice session was interrupted by a riders meeting on wether the course was worth racing, the race still being in doubt at sundown on saturday. I hope to make it on the sunday, for the race, on one of the later races.

Strathpuffer 20100
neil posted in bikes, Trails on January 19th, 2010

5 punctures in 3 laps...ouch

The crazed winter carnival that is the Strathpuffer is over again for another year. Tonnes of mud, gleaming with granite, is being washed off battered bikes and battered riders. This event is’nt a competitive race for us, its an excuse. Its an excuse to gather together a group of friends, pile a van full of technical kit, bikes and spares and have an adventure in a forest. It required teamwork of the highest order just to get the campsite set up and the first rider out on a lap this year. There was snow to be shoveled and a van to be “dug in”. The celebrations after successful erection of gazebo and two tents almost crippled me for the next day. Pale faced and sleep deprived I crawled from the tent to register our team to discover that the gazebo had jumped the tent during the night and become bent. There was nothing for it but to attempt to send a picture message to its owner.

Sorry George....

James foolishly volunteered for the first lap and I retired to bed. Dave was to take the second lap and Simon the third. The first lap was the hardest with the fastest people coming in at the 50 minute mark. The snow prevented most from riding the lap at any normal speed and extensive pushing was required. James returned to the campsite in 1:21:54 to tag Dave and be greeted by Fraser’s “Experimental” recovery drink. Meanwhile the campsite took shape, the gazebo was ressurected and Fraser put the finishing touches to our snowy “battlements” manned by a pair of recycled Teko monkeys.

Simon fettling Cairngorm brewery's finest
Home sweet home

Simon laid down a scorching lap and tagged me. The course was mostly familiar after two years, with some refinements. Line choice on fire road was essential as there was a definite speed boost to be had on the firmer ground and a drag to the gloopy parts. The singletrack was a mix of thick mud between granite slabs and snowy/icy ruts down woodland singletrack. I took the bold approach to the singletrack and was rewarded with a series of fast sections until the inevitable rut too far. A several meter long wash out/crash that happily dissipated all the energy in spectacle and flying snow. I was soon back on my bike to complete my fastest lap of the event. A quirk of our post-start transition was that this was recorded as our teams fastest lap as Simon’s batter up the fire-road from start to campsite was included in my time. I was happy to hand off my bike to Bertie who washed it and recieve the “mark 3 experimental recovery” drink from Fraser.

James on his first lap
 Bike washing, important with granite mud

A quick trip to the Frank Nichols garden store netted us a massive bag of coal and all kinds of flammable materials to ward off the cold temperatures at night. Bertie happily spent the day tearing apart pallets and feeding up a fire to keep us warm as darkness set in. Dave and James tag-teamed the first hours of darkness as I huddled in my sleeping bag to rest for the midnight shift. Their laptimes increased by twenty minutes for the last lap before turning in, a symptom of waiting in wet gear and fatigue.

Simon and I wake to the knowledge that Dave and James are out for the rest of the event. Simon responds with a preposterous 54 minute lap, only 32 seconds off our team fastest lap. I’m feeling strong deja-vu and keep a steady pace, keeping plenty in reserve for a long, long morning. The conditions are good, possibly the best they’ll be all event. The singletrack is melted slush and has a definite ridable line and the fire-roads are freezing crispy, reducing drag. We tag-team for three laps, our times hovering around the hour mark. Between laps we sit in a camp chair by the fire, wet riding gear sealed under layers of insulation. Our legs are kept warm by a sleeping bag made of layers of honeycombed foil. We must look like pop-tarts for cannibals. Each time I sit down, I’m looking forward to my next lap, because then I’ll be warm and I’ll be riding. It occurs to me that the brighter the joystick light on my head runs, the more awake I feel. It is obvious we have battery power to burn, so I speed up, riding the entire lap on full beam. The riding is good with the rain-freeze-thaw-freeze conditions changing the circuit significantly between laps. The granite chute near the top eventually freezes and I’m dumped into the mud at the bottom. Meanwhile some of the steeper climbs are icing up from wheelspin and a small tree has blown across a faster section of fire-road. Three of us work to clear the obstruction. The course is becoming familiar now, each part with a habitual line. The stink of a bog means you’re most of the way round. A fast corner after a long descent near the end means its time to scrub off all the speed and roll unclipped around the iciest corner of the course. The iciest corners lead immediately into a deep quagmire of mud. The change is so abrupt it is almost offensive. Ambulancemen and marshalls provide cowbell and tunes, cheering riders as they climb or spin out on ascents. I inadvertantly scare the lap-recording ladies as I drag my burned out back brake to the handle with no discernable effect and accelerate downhill towards them. Fortunately the snow means that my front brake remains largely unused and I stop in plenty of time. A north American accent demands “How are you doing?” and a mobile phone is thrust in my direction. I answer honestly “I’m really just beginning to enjoy myself” and sprint up the hill. Minutes later I’m sitting by a warm fire gazing at the stars.

Simon goes to bed after his fifth lap, seduced by warm dry clothes. As I head out on my fifth, I’m taking it plenty easy. Spinning up fire-road climbs and relying on my forks to take most of the hits. At this point I’m sick of the orange juice I’ve mixed into my recovery drink as my mouth burns with the acidic taste. Bertie informs me that they switched to apple juice hours ago. I can’t tell the difference. For the first time ever at a ‘puffer I’m not cramping and the vinegar sachets in my camelbak remain unused. I manage a sixth lap in the dark, marvelling that the Enduro front light is still going strong after being used since midnight. The piggy-back battery providing the extra charge needed. The half-light is’nt quite as spectacular as previous years and intermittent rain sparks in the light of my headtorch. I arrive back at the campsite with the full intention of going out soon on another lap. Just after some coffee, just after Fraser changes my brake pads, just after I close my eyes for a second. Eventually I realise I’m putting it off and only getting colder. I change the pedals on Fraser’s Scandal and take it for the final lap. I suggest handing the dibber back to the marshalls after the lap, by now I would need to put in a 1:10 lap to allow another lap within the 25 hours. We agree that if someone is up for it, they’ll be waiting for me at the start finish line. Its daylight and I’m confident I can put in one more fastish lap. The course is full of exhausted riders pushing and staggering the final laps. The course is freezing again in new places and some bits of fire-road are slippy. A teenager races me down one fire-road section and I get gee’d up enough to change into middle ring. The gear change requires both hands to push the lever. In time I find my rythm and make solid time on the fire-roads and take it easy over the granite. The descents are completely visible and the rideable line painfully obvious in the light. I’ve got enough left in the tank to make the icy corners and start pedalling through the quagmire towards the finishline. I arrive with fifteen minutes to go before the cut-off and the event staff give me a free coffee. I spill most of it on myself and my hands but the warmth is welcome, the last lap was definitely the coldest as the water on the inside of my gear was chilling my extremities. I meet a flickr buddy “The Flying Pie” whose team beats us by a single place. I have my photo taken. Bertie arrives to take my bike up the hill and we hand in the dibber. We’re done racing for another year.

Four loons, two wheels, single malt

1:21:54 James

1:04:51 Dave

0:53:58 Simon

0:53:41 Neil

1:13:23 James

1:05:45 Dave

0:56:56 Simon

0:56:55 Neil

1:17:18 James

1:12:00 Dave

1:37:05 James

1:30:37 Dave

0:54:14 Simon

1:04:53 Neil

1:00:20 Simon

1:01:32 Neil

1:06:44 Simon

1:13:54 Neil

1:13:26 Neil

2:06:09 Neil (coffee break)

We dig our van out with help from our neighbours. A chap appears from nowhere with two rolls of carpet for the van’s wheels and the ten of us manage to get the van onto the road. We jump-lead a team from Southhampton with no success and head home via Cairngorm Mountain Sport Cafe. The ‘Puffer is done. We come 33rd out of 79 Quads. All bikes are functional, all people are uninjured if exhausted. I’m not ready to say I’m looking forward to next year yet, but if they need us to send up some of the mud we took home by accident, I’d do it to make sure we can have another shot.

Stephen Lyle Memorial cyclocross1
neil posted in Photos, bikes, Neil on November 16th, 2009

The Stephen Lyle Memorial cyclocross race, part of the Scottish Cyclocross season was held in Inverkeithing on the 15th November.

The full gallery can be seen here.

Its happening again….0
neil posted in bikes, Neil on October 7th, 2009

Strathpuffer 16/17th Jan 2010. Team may differ substantially to that above.

The Carry0
neil posted in Photos, bikes, Neil on July 5th, 2009

We had’nt been too far along the Pentlands because after awhile the tracks run north/south and we want to ride east/west. So we left the tracks of man and sheep and made our own. Bikes were pushed, carried and occasionally ridden. We saw no-one until we arrived north of baddinsgill reservoir, I was strongly fantasizing about a cup of tea and a biscuit. Our host, Carolyn, did one better and produced two pots of coffee and a topper dinghy. Once recovered took the thieves road north which is possibly the Pentlands best mountainbiking. A thin barely marked path between slim raised bridges over bog with drop-offs, step ups and improbable twists. Knackered again, but smiling we found a road, ate a packet of haribo and formed a swift chain-gang for Edinburgh.
 
 

Newtongrange is where the apple fell from the tree onto Isaac Newton’s head0
neil posted in Photos, bikes, Neil, Trails, 5Dmk2 on June 4th, 2009

But it won’t anymore because we fixed that with some trailfairy brashing last night. Come back Emeritus Professor and bring your fully rigid singlespeed!

If you believe that.. you’ll believe anything!

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