Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 160mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/3.5, ISO 250 — map & image data — nearby photos

This should be my final post about having watched my first cyclocross bicycle races recently.

There was a lot of mud.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 140mm — ¹/2000 sec, f/3.5, ISO 100 — map & image data — nearby photos

Most photos in previous posts (the intro, “Practice at the Mud Baths”, “The First Two Races”, and “Falling in the Mud”) concentrated on areas I called “the Mud Bath” and “Mud Hill”. I finally got far enough through my photos to find some that show them in context a bit... here's a wider view showing folks going through and away from the Mud Bath....

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 78mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/2.8, ISO 160 — map & image data — nearby photos

A reverse-angle shot from the overpass in the distance...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/2.8, ISO 250 — map & image data — nearby photos

Some other random shots from the day...

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/3.5, ISO 360 — map & image data — nearby photos
Zig-Zag Up and Down

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 116mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/3.5, ISO 500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Pain
perhaps a muscle cramp

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/3.5, ISO 560 — map & image data — nearby photos
Dangling Chain
can't ride, but not giving up

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 105mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/3.5, ISO 720 — map & image data — nearby photos
Vibrant
I really like this color scheme

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/3.5, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
All Shapes and Sizes

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 80mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/3.5, ISO 450 — map & image data — nearby photos
Monochromatic

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/3.5, ISO 360 — map & image data — nearby photos
Wheel Dangling by the Chain
he spent considerable time trying to get his wheel reattached, but gave up

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 160mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/2.8, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Unlikely Competitor
showing none of us has an excuse not to try

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/2.8, ISO 280 — map & image data — nearby photos
Zig-Zagging at Speed

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 175mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/2.8, ISO 180 — map & image data — nearby photos
Inspiring
these not-sporty-looking folks make me feel weak
for showing up with a camera instead of a bike

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 90mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/2.8, ISO 280 — map & image data — nearby photos
Winner
She won the CL2 (fairly advanced women's category) by more than a minute

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 135mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/2.8, ISO 180 — map & image data — nearby photos
Steep Uphill

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 150mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/2.8, ISO 140 — map & image data — nearby photos
Start'um Young

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 160mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/2.8, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Nap Time

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 170mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/2.8, ISO 220 — map & image data — nearby photos
Weary Competitors
just before the final turn toward the finish

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/2.8, ISO 110 — map & image data — nearby photos
Back Stretch

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/2.8, ISO 110 — map & image data — nearby photos
All in the Family?
they seemed to ride together

The young girl in the photo above is not riding in any of the kids' categories... she's in “Ladies Category 3”, which means she's good enough to have earned the right to move on from the any-female-can-enter “Ladies 4”. The winner of the next step up, “Ladies 2”, seen above in “Winner”, has the same family name and team affiliation... perhaps a sister or a cousin.

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/2.8, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Fighting Spirit
Noriko Okabe, an acquaintance seen in my last post of 2015
She went on to place 4th in her “Ladies 3” race

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/2.8, ISO 280 — map & image data — nearby photos
More Inspiration

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 190mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/3.2, ISO 250 — map & image data — nearby photos
Noriko Okabe

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 170mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/3.2, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Weary Moment's Rest

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 140mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/2.8, ISO 250 — map & image data — nearby photos
“Kids 2” Start
one boy jumps off to a quick lead

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 86mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/2.8, ISO 450 — map & image data — nearby photos
Form
the bike seems a bit big at first glance,
but he won by almost a minute, so I guess he's doing something right

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 140mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/2.8, ISO 360 — map & image data — nearby photos
Warmup
for a later race

Nikon D4 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 150mm — ¹/1600 sec, f/2.8, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Vincent Arrives

Vincent Flanagan, seen on my blog in my writeup of his PedalForth Fitting bike-fitting service and in various ride reports, such as this fall group ride, is a former Australian National Mountain Bike Champion (1991), and a two-time All-Japan National Mountain Bike Champion (1996, 1997), so he's no stranger to racing. His “Masters 1” race (highest-tier race for men 40 and over) wasn't until long after I had to leave, so I've no photos, but I can report that he finished in the top third, which is all the more impressive since he's got a decade or two on some of the competitors.