Redlands Bicycle Classic

[Adsos Letter]

Earlier this month I went down to Redlands, California, to watch the Redlands Bicycle Classic. The race took place in the afternoon, in laps through downtown Redlands, and man was it ever hot. The weather app said it was 95°, but it had to have been hotter out on the street.

I believe that this was Stage 4 of a 5 stage race.

This was my first time at one and I really enjoyed it. I was amazed at how close together they were in the peloton (peloton= "the main group or pack of riders" ) and how fast they were moving. There was one pileup of several riders, but fortunately no one was seriously injured.

This was my first time trying to shoot a sports event. I need to work on some different shutter speeds, and angles.

Race Face









Start Line



I think this is called Cooperative Drafting, or a Paceline, or both...



Cornering









I think this is called Competitive Drafting, or a Paceline, or both...



I wish that I could have ended this with some cool image of a massive sprint, with the leader doing a bike throw across the finish line, but I had to go sit down and drink a bunch of water. Like I said, it was hot out there, and I managed to give myself a mild case of heat stroke...

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Wow, what a great bunch of photos, my dear Adsos Letter!

I'd say you did very well.

The shots of the bikers cornering were amazing and really good.

I think you caught the spirit of the race.

Well done!

[Adsos Letter]

2. Thanks, Peggy!

It was hella-hot out there.

[TexasProgresive]

3. Thanks for the great pics

from an avid cyclist who never gets to see a race. (much less be in one, too old, too fat!)

edit:
If you notice the front riders in this paceline are shifting a bit. Is the wind is quartering from the left the lead rider will shift to the left so that the line is at an angle. If it was only the point guy moving to the left then he is going to let number 2 do the work while he takes a break in the rear of the paceline. Sorry about going on. It just caught my eye. I see several riders in matching kit but these guys have matching bikes and kit right down to the socks. Pros with good sponsorship is my guess.


Edit again: Looking more closely in appears the point rider is going to take a rest.

[Adsos Letter]

4. I think he must be moving to a break position.

There wasn't a breath of wind out there that I could tell, but I imagine that these guys are more sensitive to it.

My son-in-law would know. He and his dad are avid cyclists who do centuries pretty regularly and I was down there with them to watch the race (the dad is 64, and does a century every year on his birthday). They usually ride in the men's amateur race, held in the morning, but didn't this year.

These guys are sponsored pros. Here is a bit more about the event, with a link to the website, if you are interested:

The Redlands Bicycle Classic is the longest continuous running invitational, professional stage race in American bike racing. Each year, the City of Redlands and surrounding communities open their homes, their hearts and their streets to world-class athletes. From humble beginnings on a Memorial Day weekend in 1985, the event, featuring 350 elite racers, has hosted future stars of the Olympics, Tour de France, and World Championships. The Redlands Bicycle Classic’s long heritage of attracting future stars has earned its position in history: “Where Legends Are Born!”
http://redlandsclassic.com/

I'm glad you enjoyed the photos! Thanks for looking and commenting.

[Jim Lane]

5. As a cyclist, I'd say the newbie photographer did very well.

Notes on terminology: "Drafting" is the general term for the process of one rider riding immediately behind another. This reduces the wind resistance faced by the trailing rider. At the speeds the pros ride, this is a significant advantage. It's a technique that has to be learned, though. To get the advantage, you have to be very close to the rider in front of you, and you have to learn to do that safely.

As a side note, drafting is restricted in most triathlons, so that no rider gets an unfair advantage.

A "paceline" is a line of riders each drafting off the one in front of him or her. A typical tactic is that one rider takes the more difficult position at the head of the paceline for only a short time (called a "pull" ). Then the lead rider will move off to the side, letting the rest of the paceline pass, and get back on the line at the end.

Thanks for the photos!

[Adsos Letter]

6. Thanks! And thank you for the clarifying info on terminology.

My son-in-law tried to explain the rules, tactics, strategy, and scoring of a stage race, but I admit that I found it a bit confusing.

I was in awe of how fast the peloton moved, and how close those guys were to each other! They did have one pileup (which I didn't witness) and that stopped the race for about 20 minutes. I don't believe that anyone was seriously injured but when the group came by us again I did notice some scraped arms and legs.

My youngest daughter married into a family of cycling fanatics. They each ride a century on their birthday, sort of a family ritual. She rode her first century last year on her birthday.