Photographs: Sports | G Dan Mitchell Photography

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Mark Cavendish, 2010 Tour of California

Columbia HTC sprinter Mark Cavendish signs autographs before the start of stage one of the 2010 Amgen Tour of California in Nevada City, California.

One more photograph from this year’s Amgen Tour of California, this one shot in the “pit” area before the start of the stage in Nevada City, California. Cavendish went to to win the sprint and the stage later that day in Sacramento.

Why another cycling photo? Well… I’m spending my weekend grading term papers and other end-of-term work from my students. I’ve had little time to work on photography for the past week, and I’ve had this one last 2010 TOC photograph waiting for posting – so I’m taking advantage of that, making this post, having another cup of coffee, and getting back to the grading!

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM at 400mm
ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/1250 second

keywords: amgen, tour, of, california, stage, one, 2010, bicycle, road, race, pro, professional, usa, north america, sports, nevada, city, mark, cavendish, sprinter, columbia, htc, team, sign, autographs, winner, dark, glasses, sun, reflection, smile, stock

G Dan Mitchell :: Jun.19.2010 :: Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: People, Photographs: Sports :: No Comments »

Francesco Chicchi of Team Liquigas

Francesco Chicchi of team Liquigas in the team area before the start of stage one of the 2010 Amgen Tour of California in Nevada City.

Another pre-race photograph from stage one of the 2010 Amgen Tour of California professional bicycle stage race. (This year, all of my photographs from the Tour will almost certainly come from stage one. Ah, well!) In past years I’ve managed to have my son along – and he is a real cycling fan who recognizes many of the riders. This has helped as he has been my “spotter,” pointing out riders that I didn’t recognize. This time he wasn’t with me, so in addition to shooting the riders that I did recognize I also photographed any who looked like the might be important, hoping to get his help later on with identifications. We finally had a chance to look through the images together today, and he identified this rider for me. Coincidentally, on this same day (May 19) Chicchi was the winner of stage four!

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM at 310mm
ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/500 second

keywords: amgen, tour, of, california, stage, one, 2010, bicycle, road, race, pro, professional, usa, north america, sports, nevada, city, francesco, chicchi, liquigas, team, area, winner, stage, sprint, four, stock

G Dan Mitchell :: May.23.2010 :: Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sports :: No Comments »

George Hincapie, Post-Crash

BMC team rider George Hincapie makes his way to the finish line after crashing near the end of stage one of the 2010 Amgen Tour of California professional bicycle race.

In the companion post to this photograph I mentioned the cycling concept of “suffering” – something that cyclists say that serious riders must come to know intimately. The suffering can take many forms: climbing a hill until the legs burn and the rider can’t see straight; pushing for long periods into strong headwinds; getting dropped and chasing to catch the group; crashing.

The other photograph I posted of Hincapie was shot on this same day, but hours earlier and over 100 miles away… before the start of the race. Here, Hincapie has just gotten up from a fairly serious crash on the final lap of the stage in Sacramento – I hear that he went down on his back and hit his head. After the lead group had crossed the finish line he slowly approached the end of the race, riding next to the medical support car and having a conversation with the occupants. The road dirt and ripped clothing from the crash are visible. For a moment he stopped. Then he started again, staring blankly ahead as he barely turned the pedals enough to move the bike slowly toward the finish line, but clearly determined to finish the stage so that he could continue the next day.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM at 400mm
ISO 800, f/11, 1/320 second

keywords: bicycle, bike, pro, professional, road, stage, race, california, usa, north america, sports, amgen, tour, of, 2010, george, hincapie, bmc, team, crash, struggle, perseverence, athlete, sacremento, finish, rider, stock

G Dan Mitchell :: May.22.2010 :: Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sports :: No Comments »

George Hincapie, Pre-Race

George Hincapie of Team BMC rides to the starting line for stage one of the 2010 Amgen Tour of California professional bicycle stage race.

Looking fresh before the first stage of the week-long 2010 Amgen Tour of California, BMC rider George Hincapie heads from the team area to the starting line in Nevada City, California. At this point, most of the riders look fresh and ready to go, especially on the first day of the tour before the stresses of a week of very long and very hard cycling days begin to take their toll.

And speaking of that toll, a few hours and a bit more than 100 miles later the peloton rolled into Sacramento, California to do four laps of a downtown loop around the Capitol grounds. There was a crash on the last lap and many riders went down, including Hincapie. I think that the contrast between Hincapie’s appearance in this photograph and in the one that follows is striking and illustrate what people are talking about when they describe the role of “suffering” in professional bike racing. (If you are seeing this at my blog, you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see the second photo.)

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM at 400mm
ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/2500 second

keywords: amgen, tour, of, california, stage, one, 2010, bicycle, road, race, pro, professional, usa, north america, sports, nevada, city, george, hincapie, team, bmc, ride, to, starting, line, pre race, stock

G Dan Mitchell :: May.21.2010 :: Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sports :: No Comments »

Levi Leipheimer, Stage One, 2010 Tour of California

Team RadioShack rider and previous tour winner Levi Leipheimer rides to the starting line for stage one of the 2010 Amgen Tour of California.

Levi Leipheimer is among the favorites to win the overall title in the 2010 Amgen Tour of California bicycle road race – after all he is on Team RadioShack and he has won several past editions of the race. This photograph was made before the start of the first stage of the race in Nevada City, California as he and the other rides rode from the team vehicles to the starting line for the 100+ mile road race to Sacramento.

As I often do when shooting the team area before the start of the race, I used a long focal length lens so that I could cover a large field of view and react quickly as different riders came past. Sometimes I barely had time to squeeze of a shot or two before they were gone or other riders came into the scene.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM at 400mm
ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/1600 second

keywords: amgen, tour, of, california, stage, one, 2010, bicycle, road, race, pro, professional, usa, north america, sports, nevada, city, levi, leipheimer, team, radioshack, nissan, trek, levi, leipheimer, team, radioshack, armstrong, nissan, trek, rides, starting, line, stock

G Dan Mitchell :: May.20.2010 :: Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sports :: No Comments »

Mark Cavendish, Stage One, 2010 Tour of California

Pre-race photograph of Mark Cavendish at Stage One, 2010 Amgen Tour of California

Mark Cavendish is arguably today’s pre-eminent professional cycling sprinter. This photograph was made in Nevada City, California as he emerged from the Columbia HTC team vehicle to sign autographs before getting on his bike and heading to the starting line for stage one of the 2010 Amgen Tour of California. He ultimately one the sprint in Sacramento over 100 miles and several hours later.

I posted yesterday about my photography in the team area prior to these races and the great opportunities this provides for getting close shots of riders, along with cycling equipment, spectators, and the general excitement before the start of a major professional race. My tactic here is usually to put a long lens on the camera, explore, and be ready to react quickly – often a rider may appear for a few moments outside a team vehicle or quickly ride by on the way to the starting line and you have to pick off a shot quickly or not get it at all. In this case I spotted a nearby stairway that would give an unobstructed view of anyone coming out of this team vehicle and gave me a clear shot at the path that riders were taking to the finish line. I decided to spend a few minutes here to see what would happen, and I got lucky when Cavendish emerged and spent a few minutes with fans.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM at 400mm
ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/400 second

keywords: amgen, tour, of, california, stage, one, 2010, bicycle, road, race, pro, professional, usa, north america, sports, nevada, city, pre, race, mark, cavandish, winner, first place, sprinter, high road, columbia, htc, team, sunglasses, portrait, close-up, stock

G Dan Mitchell :: May.19.2010 :: Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: People, Photographs: Sports :: No Comments »

Mark Renshaw Leading Mark Cavendish to Finish Line, Sacramento

Mark Renshaw leads out Mark Cavendish with J.J. Haedo in pursuit 200 meters from the finish line in Sacrmento – Stage One, 2010 Amgen Tour of California.

I shot this photograph at about the 200 meter mark near the finish of stage one of the 2010 Amgen Tour of California professional bicycle stage race in Sacramento, California. While it is exciting to be at the finish line – though just about impossible given the crowds – bicycle racing fans can see a lot of amazing action before the finish line, especially this close to a group sprint finish.

I thought about calling this photograph “How It Is Done.” While Cavendish is a phenomenal sprinter, he is even more of a threat given the discipline and power of his Columbia HTC team. The end of this race was an object lesson in how this works. The Nevada City to Sacramento stage was viewed as a “sprinter’s stage” ahead of time. With only one climb of consequence on a route that was mostly downhill or flat, it wasn’t likely that anyone would get away and stay away until the end, and that turned out to be the case. The peloton rolled into Sacramento largely intact, which is a setup for a battle between the sprinters.

The race ended with four laps on a large loop around the capitol grounds before the final sprint. From the first lap it was clear that Columbia-HTC was setting Cavendish up for the sprint. The team was at the front with Cavendish drafting a paceline of five his teammates, each of whom was prepared to push until he couldn’t continue in order to deliver Cavendish to the finish line in the last 100 meters where he would be ready to jump. On each lap the HTC group became smaller as team members finished their pulls at the front and dropped off. When I made this photograph slightly more than 200 meters from the end, Mark Renshaw, head down, was pulling with everything he had to get Cavendish to the finish. A second later he began to pull to the side and Cavendish pulled through with J.J. Haedo (seen at far left) of Saxobank trying to overtake Cavendish… unsuccessfully.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM at 100mm
ISO 800, f/4.5, 1/125 second

keywords: bicycle, bike, pro, professional, road, stage, race, california, usa, north america, sports, amgen, tour, of, 2010, mark, renshaw, cavendish, lead out, sprint, finish, draft, pull, htc, columbia, team, sacramento, capitol, line, haedo, juan, jose, saxobank, stock

G Dan Mitchell :: May.18.2010 :: Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sports :: No Comments »

G Dan Mitchell Photography

A daily photograph, news, observations, and ideas about photography

Archive for the 'Photographs: Sports' Category

Mark Cavendish, 2010 Tour of California

Francesco Chicchi of Team Liquigas

George Hincapie, Post-Crash

George Hincapie, Pre-Race

Levi Leipheimer, Stage One, 2010 Tour of California

Mark Cavendish, Stage One, 2010 Tour of California

Mark Renshaw Leading Mark Cavendish to Finish Line, Sacramento

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