Catharine's day

This is a shot I took three weeks ago of the Luna Pro Team racer Catharine Pendrel standing on the podium at the Houffalize World Cup mountainbike race. The national anthem of Italy is playing for winner Eva Lechner, and Catharine is stealing a glance; probably to see if Eva is filling up. Either that or top step dreaming. As every coach will tell you visualisation is a strong part of the mental game.
Flash forward three weeks to round three of the World Seriesat Offenburg in Germany and here is Pendrel in her Canadian champion uniform tackling the infamous Wolfsdrop section of the course to a baying crowd.

Together with team mate Georgia Gould, Catharine rode away to victory, here being welcomed by a phalanx of photographers (I <3 alliteration!) and the winners spoils. What a difference a rest makes.

My fave Dalby XC pic

My fave image from the UCI Dalby World Cup XC race last Sunday is hardly a peak of the action style shot, but it's different and I like it. It's one of those times when a calculated experiment results in something not fully expected. A bit like cross processing or 'flashing' your film back in Ye Olde Dayes. Let's face it podiums are only really interesting for the those that stand upon them and the team managers and mums. How many have you seen? Hundreds? Thousands? Step up, take flowers, take bottle, shake bottle, drink (not too much-mind you are athletes) then get on the top for the assembled photogs. I have usually finished and am sipping a double machiatto by the time the national anthem comes around (French,mostly), but since I had a vested interest in a couple of riders I hung around. I got the standard podium shot and then moved to side to get this one. I used some old fashioned techniques here that, if you are old fashioned, you will understand. BUT I got crucially lucky with Champagne cork that appears in the frame under the chin of the race winner Nino Schurter. I admit I couldn't replicate that in a trillion, zillion years. Well, I could paste on in in Photoshop but that wouldn't half as rewarding. Often the unknown is a treat. To see more images that made the cut take a look here.