Tour of California: Prologue
February 14, 2009
Before we begin, big ups to Shelley, who delivered a World Cup podium for my Valentine’s Day present! She has been knocking on the door of a big result all year, gaining confidence and making progress in each race she entered. I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am, she put some serious work and dedication into this result. I think this locks her a spot on the Worlds team...if so check back in late March for OTB coverage of Track Worlds in Poland.
First day of TOC, it was a total zoo. Life w/o a press pass is very difficult, there are about 10,000 other fans w/ cameras clamoring for a good spot to stand. It actually kinda sucks, people are less worried about the race and cheering, and more concerned about getting a picture w/ thier shitty camera or cell phone. Although It was fun explaining to people why I was booing Floyd and Tyler. NBut let me tell you, the Lance effect is in full force, he needs to come out w/ his own brand of Kool-Aid. It’s hard to hate on Lance because it’s good for the sport...on second thought, what am I talking about, screw Lance. I want a real champion, one I can believe in, one I can get choked up about, one I can tell my kids about. I want to believe again.
Shooting w/ the new D2X was really fun...although I struggled w/ the 70-200 f/2.8 VR, even on the monopod. You really need to dig into a spot and get set up. I’m used to panning like mad, it’s much harder to do when zoomed in...especially on the monopod. The majority of the pics I posted today were taken w/ a 24-70 f/2.8, using the flash seemed to be the key, between the clouds and buildings the light was difficult all day. This set up is light years ahead of my old kit, I expect the quality @ OTB Photo to rise exponentially as I figure this out.
I was hoping for better access to the warm up and team cars...especially the Rock and Republic bus, but I couldn’t find them. My main goal for the week is getting Tyler to autograph his own doping diary (that I printed out).
Below is Svein Tuft, we cheer for him, he is a champion we can believe in. We also cheer for this guy, and anyone who looks like him. However we heckle and boo this guy, and it’s generally safe to heckle and boo anyone wearing this kit.
First day of TOC, it was a total zoo. Life w/o a press pass is very difficult, there are about 10,000 other fans w/ cameras clamoring for a good spot to stand. It actually kinda sucks, people are less worried about the race and cheering, and more concerned about getting a picture w/ thier shitty camera or cell phone. Although It was fun explaining to people why I was booing Floyd and Tyler. NBut let me tell you, the Lance effect is in full force, he needs to come out w/ his own brand of Kool-Aid. It’s hard to hate on Lance because it’s good for the sport...on second thought, what am I talking about, screw Lance. I want a real champion, one I can believe in, one I can get choked up about, one I can tell my kids about. I want to believe again.
Shooting w/ the new D2X was really fun...although I struggled w/ the 70-200 f/2.8 VR, even on the monopod. You really need to dig into a spot and get set up. I’m used to panning like mad, it’s much harder to do when zoomed in...especially on the monopod. The majority of the pics I posted today were taken w/ a 24-70 f/2.8, using the flash seemed to be the key, between the clouds and buildings the light was difficult all day. This set up is light years ahead of my old kit, I expect the quality @ OTB Photo to rise exponentially as I figure this out.
I was hoping for better access to the warm up and team cars...especially the Rock and Republic bus, but I couldn’t find them. My main goal for the week is getting Tyler to autograph his own doping diary (that I printed out).
Below is Svein Tuft, we cheer for him, he is a champion we can believe in. We also cheer for this guy, and anyone who looks like him. However we heckle and boo this guy, and it’s generally safe to heckle and boo anyone wearing this kit.