Chuck Parsons Cycling Photography

Louisville Tomorrow.

2011-12-02T18:59:00.000-07:00

Starting to look forward to tomorrow. I'm hoping to get to the race around time for the 35/3s, and stick around for as long as the weather and my memory cards allow (I seem to have lost a few, which is a huge bummer).

I won't be racing in the morning, due to a long week of A) way too much work, B) not enough riding because of A, and C) a few too many post-work drinks also because of A. My fitness, not exactly World Cup level to begin with, has taken a beat down this week. It was a tough decision, but ultimately a good one if I'm going to stay psyched for racing. Instead, I'll spend most of tomorrow shooting film and putting in miles. Which is a good thing.

Anyway, stay tuned for updates at http://ghisalloimages.smugmug.com/ tomorrow afternoon-ish. In the meantime, if you'll be at the races tomorrow and want me to set up and get specific shots of you on the course, let me know.

Boulder Racing CX Series: Westminster, Part 2.

2011-11-27T22:11:00.000-07:00

A few more shots from yesterday's races in Westminster. Clearly, this site is still a work in process -issues like, say, ordering prints are still in development. Until then, if there is something you see that you like, let me know and we can make arrangements. I should be at most of the races the rest of the CX season, so stay tuned. I'll be trying not to be DFL in the 35/4s, and after that I'll be onsite with the cameras.

What follows are shots from the 35/3s in the morning - yesterday I posted some of my highlights from the Men's Open, but I should have more pics from that race to follow.

Boulder Racing Cyclocross Series: Westminster.

2011-11-26T14:41:00.001-07:00

A few quick updates from today's race. Today felt like a black and white day for the most part, but I've thrown in a few color shots as well. Looking at the course, I'm glad I opted out today - those stairs looked brutal, and everyone looked pretty thrashed at the finish line. Most of what we've got here is the 35/3s and the Mens Open.

Love these two shots, made hanging out by the stairs worth it.

The descent right after both stair sections. Guys were railing this section, felt like watching a 4x race.

After the descent right after the stairs, the course hit a long paved stretch for maybe 400 meters. It dropped right into a grass section with a few high speed turns that way made for awesome shots. With all the photo crews on site today, I was shocked not to see any at this corner.

A few more shots from the race. Tomorrow I'll be hitting the races out in Golden (no racing tomorrow) and will post a full update of pics from today and tomorrow's race.

USA Procycling Challenge, Stage 6 (preview).

2011-11-25T20:23:00.000-07:00

A little something from Stage 6 in Denver. This was one of my favorites, taken right outside the Denver Diner - Oscar Sevilla, on one of the doomed breaks, tearing around the corner. This shot captures it for me.

USA Procycling Challenge, Stage 5.

2011-11-25T19:00:00.000-07:00

Stage 5 was a classic in so many ways. An early break, and hard chase at the finish, and some unfortunate tactical flubs at the finish that doomed any chance the break had.

I had to pick my spots for watching the race, and figured not better spot would be Swan Mountain. About ten limes from the finish, Swan Mountain was the only real chance for anyone to put any time in on the competition. The 'mountain' itself is a short climb - probably about 3 kilometers long - and a pretty light grade, so if anyone was going to make a break it would have to be pretty explosive. Andy Schleck very nearly put on that show.

We weren't the only ones thinking that Swan Mountain was the place to be, and the party was in full swing when we got there in the morning. Throughout the day, a pretty steady stream of riders came up the hill. By noon, a full blown dance party was rocking the summit, so much so that even the cops were having a hard time getting their cars through.

1km from the finish. The grades ratchets up a bit from here, but the climb is still pretty modest. Tough to put time into anyone.

A bit of patriotism on show.

The famous ducks of Swan Mountain.

I rode Swan Mountain in the rain about a month after the race. The ride started out great, but turned cold and rainy fast. Between me and Oktoberfest on that ride was Swan Mountain. Making my way up it, I past any number of Jens Voigt quotes still painted on the road from Stage 5. If anything is going to make my HTFU, this was it.

There was a lot to take issue with in terms of the race coverage in the early stages, but it did improve through the race. One point I still have contention with is the coverage of the Break on Swan Mountain. The break group itself - Andy Schleck, Laurent Ten Dam,Ivan Basso, and Tom Peterson. We were positioned at the last corner before the summit, maybe 300 meters downhill. If anyone from the break was going to make a move, it was going to be there. As expected, Andy jumped right at the corner and managed to put a few seconds in on the rest of the break:

Watching the TV coverage, through, you wouldn't have known it. The best part of the race, lost.

Ten Dam, Basso, and Peterson, trying to catch Andy's wheel.

The main chase group.

The fans stuck around for the rest of the peloton as it shattered after the climb up Swan Mountain. The stragglers probably had more fan support that day from the race leaders. Whether or not that support was appreciated....

One last shot. Yet another Tigger sighting, this time with Winnie in tow.

USA Procycling Challenge, Stage 4.

2011-11-25T18:12:00.001-07:00

Stage 5 this year started in Avon and wrapped up in Steamboat, taking the less traveled route along 131. The route itself was pretty casual, given the stages in the previous stages in Vail and Aspen. I only had a chance to pre-ride the run in to Steamboat and catch the finish in town, and didn't take nearly enough photos.

That said, I'm pretty happy with what I did shoot. I had a chance to stay in the Brooklyn neighborhood just south of Howelsen Hill and was about a mile from the course itself. Getting out on the course was worth the trip itself. My legs were still pretty thrashed from riding the Stage 3 course and getting in some long miles the previous day, so the chance to get some nice rolling miles in and bring along the camera was a nice change.

Given the relatively mellow nature of the stage, it was no surprise that it ended in a bunch sprint. I haven't seen an event like this in while - crowds 4 deep all long the last 2+ kilometers leading into the finish line. We were well placed - maybe 300 meters to the finish line - right where Viviani broke past his lead out man. I didn't get alot of shots of the sprint, but I'm pretty happy with the ones I did. This one really captures the action of the sprint.

One last shot of the Schlecks riding back to their hotel post-race. I believe this was Andy's last day in the Most Aggressive jersey, but he definitely went all out for it the next day...

USA Procycling Challenge, Stage 2.

2011-11-23T21:51:00.001-07:00

Finally, after a day of talking racing and drinking Coors (because on this day, what else would you drink?) the race was on. These were only a handful of shots, taken at the final switchback about a kilometer before the summit. Still they tell a story of a long day in the saddle and don't quite convey how bad the descent into Aspen must have been. The descent back to Twin Lakes was miserably cold and rainy and none of us were in it to win it.

US ProCycling Challenge, Stage 2. Pre-Race.

2011-11-23T21:41:00.001-07:00

So I didn't get a chance to follow the USA ProCycling Challenge day three, which was a bummer given the insane finish. I did what I could to make up for it by spending all day on Independence Pass for Stage 3. I didn't get to check out the dirt roads of Cottonwood Pass, but Independence Pass and I have a long history of both cycling (a long story) and high anxiety (also, long story). The day started out early (some would argue, 'stupid early') with a ride up the east side of Independence Pass, followed by a good day of talking racing with fans, twenty minutes of racing, and another twenty minutes of high speed descent in cold, cold rain. Good times...

Allez Snoop! I don't know, either. Snoop?

Tigger. I have pics of Tigger at every stage. Brilliant.

The worlds best bluegrass band over 10,000 feet. These guys camped out over night the previous night, and had a good time doing it.

A little more bluegrass.

Can't get anymore Colorado than this.

The road up to the penultimate corner.

Lots of Schleck fans out that day. I passed some Luxembourgers (Luxembourgans?..) on my ride up, who shouted encouragement and shared coffee.

The summit.

Allez Snoop!

2011-11-22T21:41:00.000-07:00

The next update in my (belated) Tour of Colorado coverage. I blame Selinsky, my director sportif and consigliere, for pushing all sorts of booze (1, 2) on my and delaying my updates. Jazz themed beer = kryptonite.

Consider this shot a placeholder until I can put together a more comprehensive picture of the Gunnison:Aspen stage. Needless to say, Independence Pass was nuts. I'm not sure who Snoop was, but he had to have had a good day this day:

Castle Cross 2011 lagniappe.

2011-11-20T20:36:00.000-07:00

A little something extra, shot by Mrs. Ghisallo Images. Mens 35/4.

Castle Cross 2011.

2011-11-20T19:59:00.000-07:00

Wow, dumb fun. That was a great race, even if it was only race number two. Mrs. Ghisallo Images got some great shots while I was out on the course, which was nothing short of heroic given how cold it was this morning.

Yours truly, casually talking bikes with some guy and totally oblivious about whats about to happen:

Me shortly thereafter, neck deep in the race:

I spent a lot of this race relying on old-school downhill and slalom skills, which kept me alive in sections like this. I spent a solid 40 minutes with these guys, passing each other and thinking of the first post-race beer.

Me again, thanks to Mrs. Ghisallo Images. She has an eye for action with the camera, and yet I still ended up in at least a few shots. I loved this course - good descents (some old school whoops sections and nice BMX berms), dirt, run ups, all good. I ended up in the middle of the pack, which for my second day racing on anything other than a DH or slalom bike, I count as a huge win.

But enough about my day. I did have the chance to spend a little time shooting the 35/3s before I headed back home. Heres a few of the better shots, and look for more Prochallenge shots and pics from next week's races.

2011 USA Procycling Challenge, Day 1.

2011-11-19T15:31:00.000-07:00

Over the next few days, I'll be posting some of my better shots from this years Procycling Challenge. Had it not been for the Coors Classic back in the day, I doubt I'd even own a bike these days, let alone put in the miles I do.

Day one was in the home town, Colorado Springs. For all its faults, the Springs is a bike town and it showed it that day. The crowds weren't quite what they were for later stages, but as I rode the course through the day I ran into more bikes than I could count. The course itself was short and sweet - a quick charge up at the entrance to Garden of the Gods, a fast drop into Old Colorado City with a wicked 90 degree left hand turn, followed by a straight shot into town.

Tough to beat this backdrop on race day.

US Gran Prix of Cyclocross, Ft. Collins.

2011-11-17T20:32:00.002-07:00

A few of my favorite shots from the USGP Race in Ft. Collins this year. I didn't get to stay and shoot all day, which was unfortunate because it was an amazing course in classic cross weather (Cold, grey, occasional rain). I didn't even get to stick around for a Fat Tire...still, good stuff on a rocking course.

Submitted this one to Rapha as part of a CX photo competition...lost out to a great shot, but I like to think I made a pretty good showing.

Parker Womens Open, Part #1.

2011-11-16T21:38:00.001-07:00

From the Women's Open race in Parker - I only wish I were this tough.

Mens 45 Open, part #1.

2011-11-16T21:21:00.002-07:00

More from Parker.

2011-11-16T20:52:00.000-07:00

A few updates from the Parker race last weekend. Look for more color and black and white shots. If you recognize yourself or just like a shot and would like a copy, let me know - I'm sure we can arrange prints.

A Few More...

2011-11-13T21:19:00.000-07:00

Big Ring Cyclocross, November 12, 2011.

2011-11-13T20:12:00.001-07:00

A few shots from the Big Ring Cyclocross race in Parker this past weekend. The course was quick, the day cool and dry - perfect conditions for a fast race. This particular series is from the Mens 45+ open race, who would have put me to shame with how they road. I'll be posting more images from this class and the Women's Open later this week - stay tuned.

Near the end of lap 1: a steep run up with a barrier right at the crest of the hill. At this point, the lead group was still tightly grouped, but it wasn't long before the leader broke away.

By this point, the leader had broken away (not sure his name yet, I'll take care of that soon).

The chase group, charging one of the run ups.

More to Come.

2011-11-13T19:12:00.001-07:00

Big Ring Cyclocross in Parker, Colorado Nov. 12, 2011. Stay tuned for more images of the Colorado cycling scene.