Sports

The latest news from Sydney-based photographer Richard McGibbon as he travels up and down the East coast of Australia covering athletes on adventures and high-action sports events and races.

25
Jul
2016
Superflow: Killingworth

Superflow: Killingworth

The tiny little town of Killingworth on the NSW central coast played host to round 4 of the Fox/Camelback Superflow Rollercoaster. Killingworth is a quaint little town that seems to only have about 20 houses in it but unfortunately the entrance to the trails seems to be a bit of a magnet for dumping. This year it did seem like the local club had cleaned the around the area quite a bit though.

The trails themselves though are pretty cool. As far as from a shooting perspective there is a few nice sections. I had shot on what was called the Camelback trail last year and this year picked the Fox trail for something different. As I walked and shot my way up trail I talked to a few of the riders and had the company of Matt Staggs who helped me line up a few shots. Everyone directed me to a fern section near the top of the trail.  This was a great section and certainly unique to these trails. The trails twist and turn through the giant leafy fronds. Riders had to come past me twice for this race and it was quite easy to find 2 different angles I really liked. I’m sure I could have shot plenty of more angles in there if they had to do another lap

It was a great day out covering what is my favourite format of mtb racing. Next up is Kempsey which is a great weekend away. See you all there.

Posted by Richard in Bikes, Events, Sports
09
Jun
2016
Storms and Waves

Storms and Waves

The East Coast of Australia received a battering from some big back to back storms over the last week which brought with them wild winds and heavy rain. The storms caused a fair bit of damage, especially around Collaroy/ Narrabeen here on the Northern beaches where they washed away the Collaroy beach and created the new South Narrabeen Headland. They also whipped up one of the best swells Sydney has seen for a while.

I love this type of weather, its just so full of energy, and I spent the weekend running around chasing the weather and playing in the wind. In the days after I went to the beaches around here to try and capture some of the action that was going on down there and there was plenty going on. I spent most of the time at Narrabeen but also swung by Curl Curl and Avalon. Most of the Northern Beaches were in their element.

Posted by Richard in Places, Surfing
05
Mar
2016
Superflow: Ourimbah

Superflow: Ourimbah

The first round of Rocky Trail Entertainment’s Superflow Gravity Enduro took off last weekend at Ourimbah. There was a great turnout for it with almost 200 riders in the pack.

I was up there under the guise of Outer Image again to getcompetitor shots for all involved. Gil was away for the weekend so in his absence I called in the talents of Jaime Black to give me a hand. Jamie settled in on the downhill track and I moved to cover the all-mountain trail. Having shot at Ourimbah so many times before I was wondering where I might find a new angle but there is always going to be a spot or angle out there. I soon found a nice rock section where people are jumping over and tested a couple of different angles on it until I found one I liked .

Posted by Richard in Bikes, Events
04
Mar
2016
James Williamson Enduro

James Williamson Enduro

For the second year, I was invited down to the wonderful Wingello State forest to cover the James Williamson Enduro or the Willo as it’s more commonly known. I would have to say that this is one of my favourite races on my calendar. The forest scenery that they race through is truly magnificent and both years that I have been there a fog has blanketed the area adding to the atmosphere and ambience.

Being the First race in the National XCM series the race draws in some great riders from around the country but despite the competition, there is great camaraderie. The event is held in memory of James Williamson who did a lot to progress the sport. Proceeds raised at the event go towards the development of young riders. To find out more about the charity and James swing over to the James Williamson Enduro event website

After the event and after everyone else had seemed to leave I stuck around the forest for another night and explored the area. Despite the areas of pine forests being cleared by the Forestry Commission it is a stunningly beautiful area. It backs on to Morton National Park and the forest gets wilder as you get closer to the edges. Lyrebirds roam the forest floors and seem to spend most of the day singing away.

Posted by Richard in Bikes, Events
02
Feb
2016
Jetblack 24hr: James Estate

Jetblack 24hr: James Estate

Torrential rain and howling winds were what preceded the Jetblack 24hr this year. For me it occurred as I was driving to James Estate winery, the location of this year’s race, for those who had arrived earlier and had already set camp it meant destruction of tents and marquees as gale force winds tore through the camp.

With this in mind it was great to see morning dawn crisp and cool. All signs of the afternoon before had been cleaned and the campsite was filling quickly with racers and supporters alike. The got off on schedule with a great field full of familiar faces. Gil, my colleague at Outerimage, set off in one direction and covered the first half of the track while I went and covered the second half. I had shot through this half quite a bit but I had ideas of different angles and shots that I hoped to improve upon. As the sun rose so did the temperature and humidity.

I stayed out for a while after the sun had dipped below the surrounding hills. I found myself back at an old favourite spot which is a classic view of riders, vineyards and the setting sun trying to capture the lights of the riders bikes. After a quick dinner back at camp I went back out though I stayed close to the camp. Since the camp was well lit and, although I chose a dark corner, I hoped my flashes wouldn’t have to much of a detrimental effect on the riders night vision. I covered my flashes with with some coloured gels and played around with different lighting.

After a short sleep I headed back out for the early morning light. Gil and I swapped track halves and I found dead myself in a section of vineyard that was new to me. I’m always amazed at the stamina of the 24hr solo racers and although there was definite signs of fatigue creeping in on many there was also determination showing as well. After only a couple of hours sleep fatigue was starting to sink it’s claws into me too. I drifted around finding some great spots and getting stuck in others where I couldn’t find a good angle. By my last location I was really struggling to keep awake.

Despite the lack of sleep I really enjoy the 24hr races. I love the fact that we get to shoot in all types of light, from the soft early morning to the harsh midday to the black of night. It offers the full spectrum to play around in.

Posted by Richard in Bikes, Events
23
Dec
2015
Stromlo National round and the Brindabella Range

Stromlo National round and the Brindabella Range

A spur of the moment trip to Canberra to go shoot at the National Round of the Downhill saw me paying a visit to the nearby Brindabella range. I have visited these mountains a few times now but still think I am only scratching the surface of what they have to offer.

I arrived late in the afternoon and spent the night at the top of Mt Ginini which was as far in as I could drive. Thankfully I had been unable to find my summer sleeping bag and had taken my warm on as the temperature dropped to 3C despite the fact that it was mid-summer. In the morning I rose to being enveloped in the clouds so there wasn’t any real sign of sunrise. I spent the best part of the morning driving around and enjoying the beautiful scenery. I stopped off at Mt. Franklin and walked to the site of Australia’s first ski lodge. I could quite happily have spent the whole weekends drifting around in the hills.

Although I missed most of the practice runs of the National series downhill i made it down for the main event. As is normal for Stromlo someone seemed to have turned the thermostat up. The action was great with a lot of Australia’s best racers screaming down the hill.

 

Posted by Richard in Bikes, Events, Places, Sports