Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 150mm — 1/640 sec, f/2.8, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Sometimes You've Just Got To Say...
(whatever you say when you decide to ignore the drabacks and forge ahead)
I'm currently at airport hotel in Osaka (which I've recommended before) so I can make an early flight out in the morning, for an unfortunately-sudden family-emergency trip to America. Having arrived here with plenty of time, I'll go ahead follow up on this weekend's “Watching My First Cyclocross Bike Race”.
Today's pictures concentrate on the Mud Bath during the practice before the races.
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 130mm — 1/640 sec, f/2.8, ISO 280 — map & image data — nearby photos
It's Difficult to Tell
where the mud stops and the bike starts
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 98mm — 1/640 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Ridiculously Thick
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 48mm — 1/400 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
The Most-Common Outcome
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/400 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Giving Up Before They Start
or, perhaps “saving it for the race”
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 110mm — 1/640 sec, f/2.8, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Successful Technique
A common pattern was for the rider to enter fast and powerful, with the apparent intention to just brute force his way through the mud. This would have been fine except that the mud was sufficiently deep to grab the front wheel, flipping the bike up enough so that the back wheel no longer had traction. Forward momentum immediately stopped, and the rider who couldn't unclip in time found himself lying in the mud.
The rider above puts his weight as far back as possible, putting some weight behind the bike so that it helps shove the bike through the mud, and also more weight in the rear helps to keep the back wheel in play. Riders that entered this way usually did better.
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 50mm — 1/1600 sec, f/2.8, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Muddy Grace
having just picked herself up from the mud, she has the poise to flash a wonderful smile
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/320 sec, f/2.8, ISO 110 — map & image data — nearby photos
Up To His Feet in Mud
the mud is so thick his pedaling foot is in it
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — 1/1600 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Beyond His Feet in Mud
one can only presume there's a foot in there somewhere
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 14mm — 1/400 sec, f/10, ISO 3200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Final Rest
before the races start
More impressive photos from this event. Were “fat bikes” allowed? I wonder if those oversized tires would have made this course any easier, or if they would have fared the same as the standard mountain bike tires…
I hope all goes well for your family.
I don’t know about the rules, but there were only a few muddy sections on the 2.5km course, so maybe the extra weight of fat tires and a frame that can handle fat tires would have hurt more than the tires helped…(?) —Jeffrey