A couple of weeks ago saw me make the trek down through NSW’s beautiful high country to cover the final round of the National Downhill Series at Thredbo. It was certainly a great event set in awesome scenery. The Elite Male series was taken out by Troy Brosnan and the Elite Female series by Michelle Crisp.
Below are a few shots from the weekend’s festivities.
It’s been awhile but I’m back from my Christmas break. I have been working on personal projects over the preceding period (which, surprise surprise, does include MTB photography amongst other things).
But now the race season has kicked off and I’m back at it with Gilbert Romane and our team effort, OuterImage. First up was the AMB 100 put on by Australian Mountain Bike and Rocky Trail Entertainment. What a scorcher. Knowing that temperatures were supposed to climb over the course of the day Rocky Trail decided to bring the start forward an hour making the 100 milers start at 5.00am and the rest start at 8.00am. This provided some great opportunities for Gil and I to get some great shots in the beautiful early morning light and kept things a bit cooler for the riders.
We have shot at Stromlo before but Gil and I both wanted to find some new locations and keep things fresh. The track was 25kms long much longer than the 10km track used for the enduro so there was plenty of new spots for us to choose from. Gil scouted locations the day before and picked some fine spots for us.
As the day progressed the heat played a definite factor. At 1.00pm they closed the track. Most everyone who had set out to do their laps had finished and only a few stragglers struggled on in the heat. By the end of the race the temperature had soared to 39C and it was good to come off the mountain and find some shade.
As a junior Matt has been leaving his mark in Rocky Trail Entertainments Redass downhill series. At the age of 14 he was shooting above his age by racing in the Under 17’s and consistently finished in the top 10. Now 15 he is setting his sights on bigger targets.
How long have you been racing for?
I started racing at the start of this year. Did about 4 club rounds and then competed in my first state round at Del Rio in June. So less than a year
Who are your sponsors?
VR Transportation/No Nice Racing, Deity Components. (Also although not a sponsor a big thanks goes to POC Australia for helping fitting Matt out in this shoot)
What’s bike do you ride?
I ride a giant glory. Almost bone stock, except for a new rear wheel which was wrecked in the rain.
What is it about riding that fires you up?
I love downhill riding because the adrenaline rush you get when you try something new or bigger than you have ever done before and get it really clean is amazing. That feeling is the best. Also the fun of riding and chilling out on the local track with mates if fun and relaxed.
Favourite tracks?
Lithgow – Loose dry dust is so fun. Awaba – Difficult in the rain but get the adrenaline pumping which is exciting. Warrimoo – My home track has to be, it’s where i started and is the reason I am where I am now, Thanks Marty (The builder)
If you could ride anywhere where would it be?
Most people would say Whistler Bike Park. I would ride anywhere that has a good technical track to test and grow your skills. If that place has good mates to hang out with while riding, that’s where my place would be.
Home trails?
Warrimoo, St. Ives. A lot of work has gone into the trail, keeping it maintained. The builder, Marty, deserves everything for the amount of time and effort he puts into keeping the track running and fighting the council to keep it from being bulldozed. Every single time I ride there he is there either fixing, making a new feature, or maintaining the track. I always offer to help but he never takes up my offer, or anyone’s for that matter. He deserves way, way more credit for the amazing trails he has created. Thanks Marty!
Tell us a bit about your competition results?
State Rounds – DelRio – 10th U17, Ourimbah 9th U17. Lithgow State Champs – 9th U17. Awaba – DNS.
What plans does the future have for you?
I really want my life to revolve around riding. Anything to do with riding I will be happy with. But my main goal is to actually be a riding at the elite level. I am working everyday to try and make myself fitter, stronger and faster. Aiming for that goal is going to be a long and hard journey but I am willing to take it if it will get me where I want.
The Cannonball in Thredbo is a new race on the circuit. Its a weekend event that is held on the flow track and also on the downhill course. I made the trip down there with Gil my colleague from OuterImage though we were not covering it in any official capacity. The night we arrived in the mountains it snowed and everything was covered in a beautiful blanket of white. Instead of hurrying to Thredbo for the race Gil and I took our time moving through the mountains and shooting landscapes while we had this unique chance. Gil stopped for a bit of fly fishing and I used the time to snap off a few frames of him which I shall share with you at a later date.
It was great to be back in the mountains. Riding up and down the lift and taking in all the scenery. And then to combine it all with the chance to shoot such a cool race, bliss!!
I was up shooting the Newcastle run over the weekend, a short course of either 6 or 12km’s around the streets of Newcastle with SuperSport Images. Being such a short course it finished very early in the morning leaving me with a bit of time on my hands to explore the coast down. I have always wanted to see and photograph Catherine Hill Bay Wharf so I made it a necessary stop on the itinerary for heading back south.
The whole surrounding area had just been ravaged by bushfires and there was still a smell of burning coal in the area. Its an area well known for its coal. All the leaves had fallen from the gum trees and It was probably the closest thing that you will see to Autumn colours in an Australian eucalypt forest.
Since It had just been raining in the area too I thought I would pay a visit to Somersby Falls and see them in full swing. Guess I was a bit early as they were still just a trickle. Still nice though.
King’s School at Parramatta was the venue for last weekend’s mountain bike race that I was covering with OuterImage. It was on a short course of around 4km’s and a short race of 2 hours but this just meant that the pace was stepped up and laps were knocked out at high speed. The short course also meant there was a constant stream of people coming by once the field had spread out a bit, everyone from the head down and go hards to the just out for a few laps and a giggle with my kid type of people.
The temperature warmed up through the day and started to push up into the 30’s adding to another test of endurance for the riders. Shooting down in the shade of the trees things were a bit cooler. Being busy like that and the short time meant that it was all over before I knew it.
We tried a few different things this race including a series of black and whites and Gil setting-up some strobes to get a set of portraits from before and after the race.
To finish off the day Cadel Evans and Jack Haig, two of Australia’s cycling superstars, were present to give out the trophies and also to cut the ribbon officially opening the track.
