Clict Magazine Photo Annual 2009

DAMIAN BREACH MARK WATSON FRASER BRITTON GEOFF WAUGH SHAWN SPOMER CHRIS BENNY STEVE BEHR VICTOR LUCAS SVEN MARTIN STEPHEN HILLENBRAND

ISSN 08177686 Photo Annual #1 2009

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CAST & CREW PUBLISHER FreeWheel Media info@freewheel.com.au

EDITOR Damian Breach

ASSISTANT EDITOR James Wiiliamson james@freewheel.com.au

EDITORial SUPPORT Robin Weaver rob@freewheel.com.au

ART DIRECTOR/DESIGNER Niki Fisher niki@designbypeppi.com.au www.designbypeppi.com.au

CONTRIBUTING SHOOTERS Damian Breach, Mark Watson, Fraser Britton, Geoff Waugh, Shawn Spomer, Chris Benny, Steve Behr, Victor Lucas, Sven Martin, Stephen Hillenbrand, John Gibson, Sterling Lorence, Adam MacLeod, Markus Greber, Adrian Marcoux, Lars Scharl, David Ulrich, Joakim Andreassen, Yorrick Carroux

ADVERTISING & EDITORIAL Adam MacLeod (03) 9853 0841 Mobile: Adam 0438 292 006 FAX: (03) 9853 3930 EMAIL: info@freewheel.com.au

Post Correspondence to : 29 Loch Street, Kew VIC 3101 Articles printed in this publication are the opinion of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Editors or Publishers of Clict.

Andrew Neethling and I shoot quite a lot together. A symbiotic relationship if you will, he knows my style I know his. As a result we constantly give each other shit, but always end up with some gems for our combined efforts. Early 2007 near his home town of Somerset West, Cape Town South Africa. Viewpoint trail.

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Ed note

When I was approached by Clict to write the introduction for their first photo annual I was shocked, amazed, and humbled. Did this mean that I had finally made it as a “photographer” and can call myself a professional?

I never planned for this to happen; to become a professional photographer that is.

It seems like only a few years ago I was looking through my favourite magazines’ photo annual, lost in the imagery and fascinated about how they took the photos.

Now all of a sudden I’m writing a forward for one. For me it all started when I finally bit the bullet and decided to scale back racing and concentrate on photography.

I have always been amazed at photography and how you can create images that can inspire, stir emotion and capture history. Taking photos for a job was never my intention and my original push to have my images published was, and still is, an avenue to display my images – my artistic expression of the mountain bike world.

Looking through the list of contributors for this photo annual I can bet that it was the same for them. They like riding mountain bikes and they like taking photos and one day they woke up and realised that they’re travelling around the world taking photos for all of us to enjoy. In reality however it’s not that easy. Every image you see in this magazine, or on the walls of your local bike shop, or as part of an advertising campaign are a result of years of blood, sweat, and tears. It takes time, money, patience and a lot of luck to get the right photo. You have to put yourself in the right place at the right time. You have to take risks and be willing to make mistakes. You have to live poor and make sacrifices. You have to beg. You have to accept criticism and rejection. You’ll get hot, cold, wet, dirty, dusty, thirsty, tired, bored, and lonely. The list is endless and it’s very, very hard work.

So why do we do it? First off, it’s fun. We get to travel the world, visit exotic locations, hang out with cool people and be part of the best sport in the world. But there’s more to it than that. We shoot for many reasons and whist I cannot speak for all the contributors I would like to guess that we’re all pretty similar. Simply put, we love photography as an art and we love mountain biking and we want to combine our two great loves and hopefully when we share what we’ve created we can inspire you to ride and see the sport as we see it.

That “sharing” of our images has to be one of the most frustrating parts of the work. Photographers are very tough on themselves we want to take photos to push our boundaries and please our own inner critic. It’s painstaking to select an image that we think’s good enough and so many times once we’ve made that selection our customers (a lot of times Editors) pick our least favourite photos. Argghhh, it’s so frustrating and we’ll never understand. This is where a photo annual becomes a special part of our photography. A photo annual let’s us be the ones who select our favourite images; the ones we think are the best. One of the most common things asked by people when they see me next to a race track holding a bucket load of photo gear is “who do you shoot for?”. There’s a simple answer to that – I shoot for myself, to please myself. I’m pretty sure that everyone you’ll see on these next pages thinks the same, we have to make ourselves happy before we can share with the public.

So here you have the first Clict photo annual. A selection of images that we’ve taken that satisfies ourselves enough to share with you and we all hope that we can create that same feelings in you that we get from looking at these photos.

Enjoy.

Clict Photo Annual ed note

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Damian Breach

16

Mark Watson

30

Fraser Britton

42

1

Geoff Waugh

66

Shawn Spomer

98

Chris Benny

124

Steve Behr

136

Victor Lucas

150

Sven Martin

170

1

182

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Clict Photo Annual contents

Stephen Hillenbrand

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10 12 11

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5 11 8

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What’s in the Bag You’ve seen us on the sides of mountains or hanging around at a race. We’re the ones who stand out from the crowd. You know, the ones lugging around a huge backpack, staggering uncomfortably and being drawn towards tumbling down the hill because of the shear weight of our packs. Have you ever wondered what’s inside those packs. I pulled everything out of mine one afternoon having just finished a shoot and here’s what I found.

1. Nikon D2X with 70-200mm f2.8 VR attached. I use this lens more than anything else as it’s

so fast and versatile.

2. Nikon D2X with 10.5mm f2.8 fisheye attached. My favorite lens. Fisheye’s are so much fun.

3. Nikon SB-800 flashes. I sometimes do use three flashes at a race but I stick to two most of

the time. These babies have been through the wars and have been covered in mud, dust,

rain, and have also been ridden over a few times.

4. Pocket Wizards – three flashes so I need 4 Pocket Wizards – you do the math 5. Tripods with coldshoes attached. Something to hold the flashes and if I use a 3rd flash I

have a little stand for that which wasn’t in the bag.

6. Nikon 50mm f1.8 lens. Great for portrait stuff and I have used it to shoot racing.

7. Nikon 12-24mm f4 lens. I like wide and this lets me have a little more control than fisheye.

8. Sekonic light meter. Not used too much but makes me look like a pro if I pull it out of the bag.

9. Spare batteries for flashes. I normally carry about 30 spare batteries 10. Memory cards – I have 8 cards as it’s best not to have all your eggs in one basket as they

can fail.

11. Rubber bads and tape – for holing things together

Clict Photo Annual in the bag

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12. Pen – for writing of course.

13. Cleaning accessories – it’s important to keep your stuff clean 14. Dust blower – it gets so dusty at races this little handy thing lets me blow the dust of my

lenses easily and effectively.

15. Flash sync cable – for that off camera flash scenario when I just want to run one flash.

16. Not shown: various extra little cords, rain jacket, sun cream, camelback bladder, fly spray.

Damian Breach

How did you get started in photography?

I guess I’ve been playing with a camera for ever but started to take it all seriously when I stopped racing bike back in 2003.

When did you decide to specialise in mountain bike photography?

I loved racing mountain bikes and still ride as much as I can so I thought I’d keep being involved in the sport I love.

Any mentors or influences?

My passion for bike photography really grew from skateboard and BMX photography so they’re one big reason I shoot. No real mentor but myself, Shawn Spomer, and Sven Martin exhange notes on stuff so I guess we all help each other out.

Favourite shooting location and why?

I would say my favorite place to shoot is a place that I’ve never shot at and it’s in the Rocky Mountains of Canada. The huge mountains, brilliant vistas, green colours, and blue skys all make for a perfect backdrop for shooting. I guess it’s why there’s so many mountain bike photographers from Canada.

What camera gear do you use?

I use Nikon bodies, lenses, and flashes. If there’s one bit of advice on gear that I can give it’s spend your money on good lenses rather than chasing camera technology. There’s always going to be a better camera than the one you just bought but good glass will remain top of the range for years and years and years. I also use Manfrotto tripods and White Lightning Strobes.

What are your thoughts on the current state of Downhill?

It’s good. It’s sucking in the USA at the moment and the old 2nd home for Aussies to race overseas is in a bad state. So many people are just going straight to the World Cups now and the Aussie scene is so good there’s no real reason to use the USA as a leapfrog to the big league anymore.

What is the future for mountain biking?

The return of Slalom and the death of 4X.

Do you still ride/race?

Yep. Ridden 6 times in the last two weeks and crashed 4 times. I still love pinning it until you crash.

Fears?

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Being a failure.

Hopes?

That one day I can be a fulltime photographer.

Dreams?

To be a full time photographer and no longer having to work 16 hour days with two jobs.

Fun, you have to have fun. Jared and Paul Begg take particular attention to Amiel’s nipples…. I guess it’s an insiders joke. I like the photo as it shows that even though they try their hardest to beat each other on the track they’re still friends away from the action.

Chris has to be one of he unluckiest riders on the world race circuit. At the Snowmass, Colorado he was killing it but his luck was once again against him and he finished way off the pace. Chris is a great racer to shoot as he has such an aggressive attacking style and this photo grabbed my attention as it reminds me of how much he was pinning it that weekend.

Clict Photo Annual DAMIAN BREACH

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Clict Photo Annual PHOTOGRAPHERS NAME

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This was a favorite because of all the wood. Not that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a big fan of all the wooden stunts being built these days they sometimes make a nice photo and hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an example as it matches all the big trees.

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I like this one as Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d just purchased big strobe lights for shooting and this was pretty much the first time I used them. It just worked out right with the big green tress, the colour of the soil, and a glimpse of a storm approaching in the background. It also helped that George flipped this huge double.

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Race photographers have “spots” on the mountain that they either keep secret or share with other photo buddies and this shot was taken at one of my secret spots. I had an image in my head as to how I wanted the shot to look but the key ingredient, the rider, I had no control over. It wasn’t a special part of the track with the stereotypical huge burm or jump to get mega action from and most riders were not hitting it as I wanted. I couldn’t ask for the riders to hit the section “just one more time” as it’s a race, so I just sat there patiently. Rider after rider the shot just wasn’t working until I got this one of Joel and bang, it put a smile on my face. I knew my patience had paid off and I had a keeper.

I was at Highland shooting photos with Don Hampton from DH productions who was shooting a section for an upcoming DVD. The sun was in a bad spot and the trees were losing some colour but when I played around with the photo and put a blue filter on it, it just looked different and was appealing to my eye. I generally leave my photos alone as I hate Photoshop but this one was a rare occasion and I was happy with the result.

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I know I said I hate Photoshop but here’s another one I’ve obviously played with. Sam had just won the race and the ensuing media circus had swamped him for words and images. I jumped behind it all to capture the scene and looking at the photo later I thought that by making everything but Sam B&W that I’d be able to make the photo more representational of the scene as Sam was the centre of everyone’s attention.

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Sometimes you don’t even plan for a photo and it just works out. I was shooting street stuff with Adam and he was waiting for an all-clear from me as there were cars and people coming and going. One such time when there were a few people around the wait was longer than usual so I decided to shoot some photos of Adam waiting and it just worked out so well. Maybe I should name the photo “Waiting”.

Jared had a killer year in 2007 and he ended up winning the US national racing series but it wasn’t all good news for him. At the World Cup race in Quebec he got a flat in qualifying in the first few hundred meters of the track and didn’t make the cut-off for the finals. However, Jared being the good guy that he is and me being a pestering photographer I convinced him to shoot this one showing his disappointment at the flat tyre. If you look closely at the rear rim you can see why you can’t even stop a flat tyre even when running a tubeless system.

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Ben is normally all black and dark but this day he was bright and red. Tip, if you want to be easily recognised on a race track wear something that stands out. It makes it easy for us photographers to spot the riders we want to shoot.

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As I said before, sometimes we photographers keep our spots secret and sometimes we share them. Gary “Flipper” Perkin showed me a photo just like this and shared with me his spot. Thanks Flipper…this photo really is yours.

Clict Photo Annual DAMIAN BREACH

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Clict Photo Annual ADAM MACLEOD

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Nikon D3 Mini Review Who The Hell Am I? I won’t waffle on with PR rubbish about how cool I am or what a great job I have but instead simply say that I know one end of a lens from another. I spend my daylight hours (come to think of it, also many night time ones as well) with a camera in hand. I shoot commercial imagery and adventure sports for a living and so seem to be pretty adept at putting some of the best built pro-camera’s through their paces, whether it be in the studio or getting rained or snowed on. My cameras are my tools and I expect them to work the way I need them too to allow me to create the images my client wants. I’ve used 35mm cameras, medium format and large format cameras to get the results I need and I’ve shot on both the big players when it comes to Digital (Canon and Nikon) however I have been a long time Nikon user for reasons that I can’t be bothered explaining here. Therefore you are getting a Nikon user’s view but what I am giving you is an overview of one hell of a camera… I’ll let you then go and test and choose whether you like the D3 or would rather the white-lenses of Canon or the super-cool name of Hasselblad or even a Leica that doubles as a fashion accessory… in the end it’s you’re call!

The Beast Nikon have quietly been working behind the scenes over the past year to blow the photography world away with the release of a high speed, high-resolution, advanced auto-focus digital SLR camera to rival Canon in both the commercial and sports market. Put simply, the Nikon D3 pro digital SLR camera is a pure beast of a camera that fulfils the needs of nearly every sports-shooter out there; and then offers more. However instead of talking highlights and histograms, this mini-review will look at the everyday application of what is a complex piece of circuitry and machinery and discuss in layman’s terms the benefits of the new camera.

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But firstly, for all you budding photography gurus out there, here are the stats: The D3 is a 12.1 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor, professional DSLR camera, firing and focus tracking at 9 frames per second (FPS) in full frame mode and 11 FPS in DX-crop mode. With 51 auto focus points, dual CF card slots and a 3.0inch 922 000px LCD, the camera also boasts an ISO range from 100 to 6400 (with boost to ISO 25600) and a shutter lag of under 41 milliseconds. The magnesium alloy exterior is ergonomically designed for both horizontal and vertical shooting with vertical grip, command dials and shutter release as well as being comprehensively sealed against dust and moisture. … But enough of all that stuff, lets look at the everyday application of the above numbers and what they all mean.

1.

The Buttons and Rubber Stuff: Firstly lets take a quick glimpse at the body. A magnesium alloy fully sealed professional body is a must for anyone shooting in the outdoors and the D3 boasts all the above, meaning the camera won’t keel over and die when you are shooting in the heat, rain, dust or snow. Additionally the body has a vertical grip with a second shutter release and command dials so it is as comfortable shooting in portrait mode as it is in landscape and in both modes allow you to fully control the exposure and focus settings. The body contains a dual compact flash card slot (One of my favourite features) allowing for copious memory so you can simply shoot more and change cards less. The new toggle button on the back allows super fast and accurate selection of your menu items, auto-focus points and preview options in playback mode and the incredible 3.0inch 922 000px LCD offers an amazingly accurate representation of the image allowing zoom to 100% to check clarity and sharpness.

2.

The Sensor: Now here’s where the good stuff begins. Instead of upping the pixel count, Nikon redesigned their sensor from the ground up and stuck their first full-frame sensor inside the D3. This means the D3 has no more pixels than the D2Xs, however the pixels are much larger and fit on a sensor which is now the physical size of 35mm negative. What this means is that the 12.1 megapixel full-frame sensor produces a super sharp magazine size double-page-spread (DPS) image straight out of the camera allowing the photographer to simply grab the RAW, TIF or JPG file and supply directly to a magazine for cover or even poster use without having to digitally enlarge the file… very nice. Additionally the larger sensor means high ISO shooting is simply incredible. I used to balk at shooting over ISO 400 however will now push the D3 to ISO 800 or ISO1000 without a second thought with a resulting image-quality equivalent to ISO 200 from other DSLR’s on the market.

Of course the full-frame sensor also means there is no conversion/cropping on your lenses so now my old 16mm fisheye once again has become a much-used favourite, and my AFS 80-200mm f/2.8 is once again a true 80-200mm zoom lens

3.

The Go-Fast Option: This camera is blisteringly fast… in all areas. Let’s not talk about the 12-millisecond power-up but instead go directly to the super fast formatting of cards. It is an awesome feature often overlooked but as soon as I first formatted a card the D3 I realised what an issue this had been in the past. The D3 allows a two-button rapid format of both CF cards and this all happens instantly so you’re ready to shoot when you need to be. Then the really good stuff begins… Just dial the lens to continuous-servo, the D3’s focus mode to 51 point (3D tracking) and the

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Images 1 through to 5 highlight the reliability of the Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS) to produce consistent flash reults with motor drive sequences Image 6 - test pilot Mick Ross.

Clict Photo Annual NIKON D3

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shooting mode to continuous high and when you press the button you’ll be focustracking and shooting at 9FPS. Of course what will blow your mind is that the new multi-CAM 3500FX tracking system is awesomely accurate and just doesn’t drop a frame… Nikon have really nailed it this time. But if you really want turbocharged-go-fast-mode you can change the image size to DX format and you’ll get 11FPS (but your image size will be cropped to 5.1MP). However 9FPS is pretty much all you need for most applications and with a minimum 6+ FPS required for true sequence photography, killer sequences are now ‘in the bag’ without having to worry about missing shots or running out of memory as the D3 additionally carries a 20-shot RAW buffer and 64-shot JPG buffer at 9FPS.

5.

Oh yeah! Just in case you thought this camera was tailored only to sports, press and magazine work then think again. I recommended the D3 to a portrait and wedding photographer mate of mine, who then took it for a test run and two weeks later had one of his own. For those who want true reproduction of skin tone, natural images in low light conditions or perfect clarity in studio situations, then the D3 also excels in these area’s with features such as tethered shooting and camera command from your laptop etc… but that’s another story.

6.

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Other Bits: Did I mention the high ISO shooting? Oh yeah… but just in case you didn’t get it, you can put your flashes back in your bag because now when trying to nail that perfect muddy downhill mountain bike shot in the shade under the trees you can dial the D3 to ISO 1600 and let-rip with a sequence instead of setting up a load of remote flashes for one shot. I should also mention that the camera enables live view mode so you can use the rear LCD screen to compose and shoot and the D3 also has an inbuilt intervalometer for timed sequence photos etc (which I have found is not just a gimmick but actually a handy tool I’ve used on quite a few occasions). The D3 also captures images in 14-bit for better colour reproduction and highlight and shadow detail. The new sensor size did mean I had to go shopping for some new lenses as while my DX lenses work fine, they don’t fill the full sensor and so reduce the final images to a lesser resolution. Usually this would be a negative side-effect of a new camera but when you get your hands on the sexy new super-wide AFS 14-24mm f/2.8 or the AFS 24-70mm f/2.8 then the pinsharp results are enough to deter any negative comments about having to spend the extra dollars.

Another Last Bit:

Final Say (I Promise):

Put simply there are limited high end pro DSLR’s with the build and features to satisfy the professional photographer demanding high resolution, high speed imagery. Currently the winners are the Nikon D3 (12.1MP @ 9FPS) or the Canon EOS 1D MKIII (10.1MP @ 10FPS). Of course this will change over the coming years as new developments occur however in the present market both the above camera’s will well and truly offer as much as you can ask when it comes to magazine and editorial imagery. The D3 has put Nikon in a very good place over the last few months but before you get carried away, remember your camera is just a tool so owning one of these babies does not make you a professional… you actually have to know how to compose, expose and execute great imagery before you start walking into the pub telling everyone how much of a photo-guru you are.

For further details and technical spec’s on the Nikon D3 go to :: www.nikon.com.au

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Clict Photo Annual Mark Watson

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photo: Travis Beard

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Clict Photo Annual Markus ghreber

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Here Carter proves that you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to flail your arms and legs about to look good in the air.

Clict Photo Annual markus greber

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Fraser Britton How did you get started in photography?

sheer drama of the venues we are at can make the image many times. As for MTB shooters, my first

young guns are starting to show up to play. Fair-

I started working as a photographer in high school

job was working for Plush Magazine out of Boulder

clough, Smith, Cammelini, Atherton, Gatto.

and ended up doing a mass communications de-

and Mark Dawson, Matt Lanning and Mark Doolittle

gree, followed by a journalism degree in university.

really helped me out early on offering advice and

Somehow, I got sidetracked into print and then ra-

support. Currently I really admire what Flipper is

What is the future for mountain biking?

dio work and the photo stuff just sort of faded away

doing. His off the cuff finish line portraits are sim-

No idea at the moment. Racing isn’t going any-

for a few years.

ply the best I have ever seen.

where, but trail riding is on its way up. Whistler and

ogy, slowly decreasing prices and the next batch of

the other resorts are filled with people on $4000

I moved to Colorado not long after and slowly got

bikes who have never raced a day in their lives, and

the content I was providing to magazines from the

Favourite shooting location and why?

race scene. It made the articles an easy sell. Even-

Scotland is fantastic for the drama. Shiite weather,

fully some more rampage style events show up, big

tually a friend convinced me to buy a new 10d and

great course, epic riders. Whistler rates way up

mountain riding. Slopestyle bores me, but watching

not an HDTV. It was the best decision that was ever

on the list as well. I managed to talk my way into

Cedric work his way down a massive big mountain

forced upon me, as I have been working full time as

a shoot on the absolute top of the peak last year

line and then throw a backflip makes me smile.

a photographer ever since.

(no bikes allowed normally) and it was epic. The

back into shooting to have photos to go along with

are just out shredding. It is good to see. Hope-

backgrounds were incredible and the light was

Do you still ride/race?

When did you decide to specialise in mountain bike photography?

perfect. Maribor is up there just because they have

I still do both. I manage 2 race teams with the

the sketchiest gondola of all time, and the biggest

help of Orange Bikes, and am currently on the Mojo

It was sort of a natural progression as I have been

2 euro burgers you have ever seen. And $1 beer. I

Orange Trade Team. The more I travel to work the

racing bicycles since the early 90s, almost exclu-

LOVE $1 beer.

less I get to race, but I still try to cram in a half dozen events every year. Local stuff, Canada Cups,

sively mountain bikes. I wanted to continue to travel with my friends, and knowing where an athlete is

What camera gear do you use?

going to be at any given time in any sport gives you

I shoot with all canon gear. 1dmk2 bodies (and that

a huge advantage. I still shoot other sports as well

original 10d still as well!). 300mm 2.8, 70-200mm

Fears?

as studio stuff for clients, but I am most at home in

2.8, 17-40mm 4, 15mm 2.8 Fish for lenses. I use

Sketchy chairlifts.

the woods shooting downhill.

Elinchrom Ranger lights when I need a fake sun and vivitar 285 flashes the rest of the time.

Any mentors or influences?

Crankworx etc.

Hopes?

That MTB goes rockstar again and I am around to

What are your thoughts on the current state of DH mountain biking?

shoot it.

of influences. I am constantly looking at what other cycling photographers are doing. Graham Watson

Dh mountain biking is about to hit it’s next big wave.

Dreams?

manages to make some amazing images, with bikes

It probably won’t touch the mid to late 90s, but the

See above!

almost as the second story most of the time. The

slump is nearing an end I think. Better technol-

I don’t really have any specific mentors but plenty

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Once in a while standing on the side of a world cup course, something just makes your jaw drop. Last year in Vigo, Gracia managed to somehow ride out of this. He lost traction, slammed his inside shoulder into a tree started to drag his foot behind him, face over his tyre and then somehow got back on the gas. He pedaled out of it as if he never missed a beat. I was standing with Ian Hylands and we both looked at each other in awe.

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Gee Atherton on the way to his first senior World Championship victory, Val di Sole, Italy, 2008

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Jared Graves winning the Adelaide round of the national series on the

2009 model Yeti 303 R DH

photo_Evan Jeffrey

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Kyle Hansen clearing a road gap/sequence drop in on Vancouver Island, Canada, during the filming of the new video, Barred For Life

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Š 2008 Cannondale Bicycle Corporation.

Geoff Waugh How did you get started in photography?

When I started work as a reporter and someone thrust a Nikon

What are your thoughts on the current state of DH mountain biking?

FM in my sweaty palms.

The state of DH mountain biking will improve 100% when Peaty wins the World Champs.

When did you decide to specialise in mountain bike photography?

What is the future for mountain biking?

When I bought my Muddy Fox Courier and cut my knees to f**k.

DH will make it to the Olympics in place of those dirt roadies. And on my small island access may become an issue.

Any mentors or influences?

Not really in mountain bike photography, but guys I used to look

Do you still ride/race?

up to from mainstream sports photojournalism where Chris

I ride whenever I can get the dog off my back if you know what I

Smith, Mike King, Michael Steele shooting for the broadsheet

mean!

newspapers and some of the Allsport agency boys.

Fears?

Favourite shooting location and why?

Of another Dubya Bush

Anywhere where the light is firing and the trails look good. But I particularly like the graphic colours of Provence, France, Utah,

Hopes?

USA and Australia.

To attend Peaty’s Rainbow Jersey piss up!

What camera gear do you use?

Dreams?

Nikon Digital, Bronica and Horizon Panoramic film bodies.

A Happy face, a Thumping bass for a Lovin’ race.

Q-Flash and Multiblitz lighting.

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When you drink the water, don’t forget those that dug the well.

Who will unmask the mystery rider?

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Dirt hero Cam McCaul leaving the Boneyard wallride in his wake.

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Mick airing it out at the Les Gets Bike Park, June 2005

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World Cup winner, UK DH scenester and international playboy, showing his Giant colours. Wales, January 2008

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Former downhiller and now freeride vetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Dave Watson taking some shade at the Kona Camp in Les Gets

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Shot by John Gibson for Red Bull at the Snake Pit

*

Images from the making of Seasons a mountain bike film by The Collective - a story told through the course of a year and it’s 4 season’s. Featuring some of the world’s best riders.

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matt hunter airs in camloops bc photos: sterling lorence | sterlinglorence.com

very top: darcy wittenburg films andrew shandro via the cable cam, on bowen island, bc | above: thomas vanderham photos: sterling lorence | sterlinglorence.com

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*

Images from the making of Seasons a mountain bike film by The Collective - a story told through the course of a year and it’s 4 season’s. Featuring some of the world’s best riders.

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photos: sterling lorence | sterlinglorence.com

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The driver of the Greyhound played it calm as he drove his bus northbound. He hugged the wet cliff wall of the narrow two-lane undivided highway with an unsettling confidence. In the opposing lane, cars buzzed by seemingly unaware of the hundred foot plunge into the Pacific Ocean. Chilled, I forced myself to watch the driver caress each corner blindly at a frightening speed.

The Plague My recollection of Highway 99 dates back to 1994. It was on a gloomy west coast September morning. I was 20 years young and had just spent the last 3 days traveling the railways across Canada. It was my first trip of significance away from home and I was only a few hours away from completing the 3000 mile journey. My destination was a relatively undeveloped ski town in coastal British Columbia called Whistler.

The last 63 mile stretch of road connecting Vancouver to Whistler is known as the Sea to Sky Highway, but over time has earned more dramatic titles like the ‘Drive to Die’ and ‘Killer Highway’. Needless to say the length of bumped-out off-camber pavement had seen it’s share of tragedy. Fortunately, my introduction to the road was nothing more than an inexperienced traveler taking his first steps in to the mountains.

Much time has passed since then and since that day countless incidents have occurred.

Most dramatic have been at the hands of Mother Nature. Landslides, flooding and heavy snowfall have all shut the road down and often in tragic fashion. But the most common and unsettling occurrences have been a result of poor human judgment.

Whether it’s been excessive speeds, fatigue, reckless driving or alcohol related, the ‘Drive to Die’ has claimed more than 20 lives in the past 5 years alone, while some 800 other accidents have occurred.

It’s the roads plagued resume that has demanded a $600 million upgrade. While much talk has surfaced over the years about how much and when, it wasn’t until the 2010 Winter Olympic Bid that the real push began. Without the Games the project may still have been in procrastination. Without the projects willingness to move forward, the bid would have never succeeded.

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“I will never save enough time driving the new highway, as I have wasted in construction delays on the current highway.” - mountain bike filmmaker Darcy Wittenburg.

Construction The plan was to reconstruct and expand a 2-lane highway in to a 4-lane speedway. The project has brought much positive and negative attention to the road. I can still remember the night my ex was heading home from work in Squamish and was unlucky enough to be the first driver to deal with an overnight closure. They decided to begin blasting that night and as a result a 5 hour wait on a lonely midnight mountain highway began.

That closure came out of nowhere, while they had a tentative date set it had passed and nobody knew when it was going to start. Of course much commotion was raised, mothers returning to their children and delivery truck drivers were all forced to wait. The following Thursday the local paper was filled with discontented letters from stranded passengers. Over time, progress brought organization and the now prepared community had grown to except this project as part of their life.

While the blasting and clearing occurred in the black of night, a new road way had slowly begun to surface. The trees that at one time blocked lifeinspiring views of the Howe Sound, had been plowed and as the views opened so did the areas potential. For some, focus on the slow traveling road began to turn in to focus off the road. It seemed with every pass, something new was being offered to the ambitious. Old ‘spots’ had become obvious from the road and new ones had been created with every blast.

Conversations soon swayed from a traveler’s blues to a positive mountain bike stoked. Previously only a few had taken the time to pull off the road and session these spots. With the realization of a 4-lane highway halfway through its destruction, a couple of riders came to realize the lifespan of each spot was indefinite. As a result one-off descents, natural rock wall rides and blazing stretches of singletrack were in need of immediate attention.

“I hate getting stuck in construction, my A.D.D kicks in and I can’t stop looking for things to ride.” – Wayne Goss

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On July 18th Dave Smutok and Wayne Goss loaded their bikes over the tailgate of Wayne’s recently acquired 72 Chevy C10 pickup. Their mission as backwards as it sounded was to get stuck in traffic and ride out the waiting game. A list of spots was collected and the daylong session began to take shape. The list was as variable as the mountain bike is, such names as the Britannia Boat House, Tricuoni jib, the Brackendale drift and even a Dual Slalom spot found a space on the hand scribbled list.

Britannia Beach The session began in an abandoned boathouse on the waters edge of Howe Sound in Britannia Beach. The boathouse has stood before the highway even existed. In the early 1900â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the Britannia community was only accessible by boat. Only two structures have managed to survive the coastal weather patterns and one now acts as a roof to four experienced wooden ramps.

Dave and Wayne quickly moved one ramp outside and began jamming their bikes against the old wooden structure. Wayne managed to nudge himself snuggly under the overhang of the knife-edge metal roof, only just avoiding near decapitation. It was at that point Wayne called the session to a close quickly realizing it would be deadly to go any higher.

The ramp was put back in its place and the first spot on the list was crossed off.

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Granite Skatepark Just over a year ago a new section of rolling rock was exposed alongside of the highway. Apparently the section cleared was a mistake and was never supposed to be cut. I guess the only positive occurrence about that mistake was it let an imagination run a bike over cleanly sculpted rolling transitions.

After realizing the speckled orange curves of the rock was far more attractive than ride-able, Smutokâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mind wandered around the backside of the mound where it edged the rim and overlooked the port of Squamish.

After a short hike-a-bike up the rock an old trials trail made itself visible.

The area is notoriously windy and over time the wind had blasted subtle curves along the top of the bluffs resulting in an unassuming play land.

Surrounded by water, mountains and the largest granite monolith in North America, the old and now unused trails trail made for a creative hour in the sun.

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Brackendale Drift The granite skatepark sat on the south end of Squamish, after a slow drive through the town, the smaller and neighboring town of Brackendale waited.

Alongside this stretch of road sat a section of trail generally used by horses and riders to access the Alice Lake trail network. It is flat and in most cases would be ridden at a very casual pace.

Fortunately Goss and Smutok donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ride at a casual pace and with the most minimal decline in the land, they both shifted their thighs into overdrive.

Their point of interest was a slight doubletrack bulb in the trail, the gentle elbow was summer dry and provided the perfect surface for their wheels to drift in a perpendicular fashion. After the cloud of dirt cleared, front wheels steered the bikes straight and an uncontrolled stoke was released. The pleasure expressed on the faces of the two would have been impossible to rehearse, further proving how little you need when you have a bike between your legs.

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A Snowboarders Jib It’s likely the most obvious spot on the Sea to Sky; a near vertical rock sits with a seemingly perfect transition butting its way to a 12-foot high wall tap. Previously the parking lot it sits on the outer edge of, had been filled with an unmanageable rock surface. To ride a bike on it would be impossible at speed and a s it would be this natural one-off would only be accessed by snowboarders who tow in by snowmobile.

Over the last season construction on this area of the highway called for a truck turn-around. The lot was graded and a near perfect set up was that much closer to riding. The only problem left was the transition to wall was still made of small boulders. The rocks were shaped into a mock lip and 4x8 sheets of plywood were ‘borrowed’ from the local Cat Skiing operation and subsequently shimmed and wedged into place.

It shouldn’t have worked. The set up was literally pieced 4 pieces of wood shimmed together and required realignment with every attempt. The emotion of breaking in a new line took over Dave and as he tapped the rubber of his rear tyre higher and higher with every effort, to where he eventually found his rear wheel wedged in a crack. A quick panicked tug and he popped out of the nook and back into the makeshift transition.

The boards rattled out of place and a look of relief was evident in his eyes.

He rode back, stopped and weighted his elbows on his bars, where he proceeded to grin with a quilty pleasure.

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Expecting to Fly Wayne spends his summer days living with his uncle in Squamish.

Sweating through a coastal heat he has searched out the area for the perfect terrain to build stunts for his movie parts in New World Disorder.

During the process he has gained a network of knowledge for the local trails. After the boys turned back south they made a quick stop on a new and very short length of trail called Expecting to Fly. A snaking line of step-downs just a mile off the road.

A quick flow session broke out. The dirt was dry and would have normally choked out a rider but today was different. The roost became the objective. Corners resembled deep powder sprays and the tail-gunner learned how to ride by trust and feel as the visibility became non-existent in the cloud of smoke.

On the way out a quick one-off dirt jump waited in the woods. The shovels of Darcy Wittenburg and his Collective crew had left a large double in an over saturated land of moss. Wayne started with a snapped motowhip bringing his bike to a 90 degree angle and then dropping his front wheel into the sniper transition. A quick hike up and he upped his own ante with a tail-whip that seemed to pause in time. He found his pedals and rolled out clean. After some quick mechanical adjustment, Smutok followed with a nothing; no hands and no feet- found his pedals and bar, rolled away and left the woods for the truck.

“What are you trying to cause an accident!” – Said the man looking backwards driving his truck forward.

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Dual Slalom

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The day wound down and light started to fade. Content with a day of highway inspired riding Wayne and Dave loaded up the truck and began the return to North Vancouver. As irony would have it traffic came to a stand still and again the boys found themselves in a line of traffic waiting for the stop sign to be flipped back to slow.

An exhausting day had patience wearing thin. Coincidentally a downhill section of fresh asphalt lined with 2 rows of well-spaced pylons stood ahead. Quickly the boys jumped out of the vehicle and a headed to the start of the Sea to Sky Dual Slalom.

Wayne started strong but brushed a gate and lost a bit of speed.

Smutok took advantage of Wayneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s technical and railed the surprisingly tacky track and managed to pull away with the win.

As he crossed the imaginary finish line a frightened large man driving in opposing traffic stuck his head out of his window, looked back and yelled at the boys. He nearly rear-ended the vehicle in front of him in the process.

The Plague Continues Just 2 weeks after Wayne and Dave laid the rubber down on the last slalom session of the day.

A few hundred meters down from the course, a massive rockslide broke loose. The beginning of the slide grazed a passenger bus crushing the sides. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt. The highway saw a different fate. A pile of boulders 30 feet high and 100 feet wide now sits waiting for removal as crews work around the clock to clear the mess.

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Currently we are in day 3 of a projected minimum 5 day road closure. The last reports have the town of Whistler out of gasoline and a long weekend about to begin. The 2 hour drive to the Whistler Bike Park is now a 6 hour detour. Stores have shut down and according to local news reports; the village has become a ghost town. On a lighter note; I am stuck out of Whistler at perhaps the best place in the mountain bike world - Silver Star Mountain Resort.

And for the folks stuck on the other side of the rock pile the Canadian Barbeque Championship scheduled this weekend will still go on.

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Spomer

How did you get started in photography?

What camera gear do you use?

Do you still ride/race?

I started with video and wanted to try photogra-

Old Canon stuff...1d and 1ds. Used sunpak flashes

Yep, ride as often as possible. Mostly a little bike

phy. I went to a police auction and lucked out by

and Alienbees big lights.

at the skatepark and lifts in the summer time.

Fears?

getting an old Pentax Spotmatic with a bunch of

9-to-5 job.

sucked into my rear wheel on my first practice

What are your thoughts on the current state of DH mountain biking?

run, ruining the weekend. I had the camera with

I think it is in a good place. The slopestyle/fre-

Hopes?

me and played around with it. I was hooked.

eride buzz is evening out and racing seems to be

That hairy men become fashionable and again and

gaining some popularity. I love all forms of mtb

not ever having another 9-to-5 job.

lenses for $100. At a race in 2000, my derailleur

When did you decide to specialise in mountain bike photography?

competition, slopestyle, race, etc...it’s all sick. I just think that now, perspective is getting a little

Dreams?

It wasn’t really a decision, it was the only thing I

more realistic and the different formats are level-

To retire to Crescent City, California or Mountain

cared to take photos of regularly.

ing out a bit. For all I care, it can stay under-

Home, Missouri in the next 5 years (yeah, right!).

ground and not become mainstream. The trails are

Any mentors or influences?

crowded enough already.

Malcom Fearon, Paul Bliss, Mark Dawson, Victor Lucas, Damian Breach, Sven Martin.

What is the future for mountain biking?

Favourite shooting location and why?

Who knows, maybe the continued specialization of

Any World Cup race because everyone is fast and

formats, instead, they focus on one thing only.

they do their thing, while I just poach ‘em.

Hopefully slalom takes out mountaincross, though.

styles? Fewer riders dabbling in a variety of race

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Chris makes Superco Bikes. When he’s not welding impeccable frames, he’s shredding them on the pumptrack in his backyard

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Joel schralps the jumps at The Fix Bikes in Boulder, Colorado

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Amiel on his way to destruction at Crankworx. He overshot the GLC drop here by a good 15 or 20 feet and landed flat, exploding in the worst way possible, inches from the finish. He grabbed his bike and rolled through the finish, in spite of the beating

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John Kirkaldie can handle anything. See the greasy, off-camber corner before this lip? Most riders could barely make the corner and had to push the lip. Kirkaldie railed it and blasted

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Cameron McCaul tweaks on the fly and sneaks on by some lumber in Northern California

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back flip SUPERMAN | Photo: David Ulrich

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the circus that is vienna air king | photo: david ulrich

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sam hill Sam Hill is a name that evokes similar things from most people. His reserved demeanour and ability to brutalise his competition against all odds mean that it is very hard not to be in awe of this guy.

In these uncertain times, Sam Hill is a constant – an Iron-Horse-riding podium topper and result collector.

But what’s this? 2009 will see Sam on a Specialized Demo 8 – yes, the bike known more as a free-ride sled than a nimble, World Cup weapon. He’ll still be chugging down Monster Energy drinks, bouncing RockShox and SRAMing it up, but the bike is a big change.

His first outing on the Specialized was one to forget. Drawing plate Number 13 meant Sam would lose his derailleur to a rock at Eagle Mountain Bike Park, and he failed to qualify. Things weren’t all bad though, Sam’s ‘demonstration run’ would have given him second in the final behind Graves.

With massive changes afoot, Robbie McNaughton injected Sam with some truth-serum for a good old fashioned chat about the new bike, new development program, secrets of success, motivation, pressurE to win and house painting.

Sam, what has your off-season been like? What’s been

What are your overseas commitments this off-sea-

the main activity you have engaged in to unwind from

son given with the new team?

your race season?

I’m actually in the US right now. We’ve been having a bit of a team

I’ve been enjoying it quite a lot. I had some house renovations to

camp and testing out new bikes and stuff. We are just all getting

finish off so I’ve pretty much finished that now. I’ve been riding a

set up and making sure we have everything ready to go for when

lot of motocross and just hanging out with my buddies at home so

the World Cups start.

it’s been cool.

How much time will you be spending adapting to your

What has been the best thing so far to come from

new bike this off-season compared to previous years

your new signing with Specialized?

where you have pretty much hung up your helmet in

I’m just stoked to be riding for a company that wants to win as

the off season?

much as I do. They are willing to develop new stuff and make me

I am really motivated to be on my bike to prepare for 2009. I’m

118great group of people around me.

happy. The whole program is going to be real sick and I have a

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Is there going to be an all new Specialised DH bike

not happy with my results this past season so it has re-lit the fire and I think ’09 is going to be good so I will be putting in a lot of time on the bike to get fully used to it.

for your 2009 World Cup Season?

The Stromlo World Cup has come and gone. What

I have no idea really, they are getting me all dialled in on the

frame of mind has this left you in with regard to

Demo 8 right now. I’m loving riding that bike so I’ll give them my

claiming back the World Championship crown?

feedback and we’ll see what happens with further development.

It’s going to be a tough one for sure. I don’t think I was prepared

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for that race in ‘08 and I know I have a lot of work to do if I want to get the rainbow stripes back. I am going to prepare the best I can for it and try my hardest. I would love to be able to win there in front of the home crowd but I know it’s going to take a lot. I don’t think it’s an impossible task so I will be going there to try and win.

What do you think you will be doing differently with regards to training in comparison to previous years in preparation for the 2009 World Champs?

Just some top-secret stuff!

What changes are you hoping for with regard to the Stromlo Downhill for the Australian Championships and the World Championships in 2009?

There really is still a lot they can do with the area they have built the track on. I would like to see it a bit more technical stuff up the top and it would be good to seem them either take the flat out at the bottom or have a more high-speed entry into the flat with some nice big jumps to break up the pedalling.

How do you feel the Stromlo DH Course compares to other World Cup venues, and more importantly, to other World Championship courses that you have competed on?

I only have negative feedback about it so I might just keep my mouth shut and stay out of trouble. [laughs] Will you only be competing in World Cups this year and if so why?

My schedule will have me focusing on World Cups and the World Champ’s. They are the premiere races and what Monster Energy/ Specialized and I want to compete in. I will also be competing in some other one-off events like the US Open, Crankworks, and other events we might have time to do.

What’s the best thing about having Brendan Fairclough on your team again?

He is just a cool guy, we get along really well and he goes off on a bike so it’s all deadly.

Last year during your off season you did some runs at the Awaba track outside of Newcastle. What were Yeah, I think the track is sick – it has a lot of really good turns, rocks, jumps and all-round fun stuff. It is good to see people putting in time to build something cool.

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your thoughts on the track?

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At the Specialized training camp in Elsinore, Southern California, getting acquainted with the new gear photo_ Isreal Romero

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BlackBox product testing - home trails in W.A, prior to the start of the 2008 World Cup season

At the Adelaide national round at Eagle Park, with a broken derailleur an unfortunate first outing for Sam photo_Adam MacLeod

You have mentioned that it would be a good idea to put the

Tell us a little about filming at Sun Peaks, mainly the large

Australian Championships closer to when the internation-

step-down featured in Clay Porter’s movie, f1rst.

al riders are heading overseas, what is your reasoning

Sun peaks is just an awesome place to ride. I’ve been going there almost

behind this?

every year since 2003. There are two drops that I have looked at and

I think you would get more of the international race guys going to the

thought would make a sick jump. Finally filming there with Clay I thought I

Aussie events because they would want to do a warm up race before

may as well do it, it’s pretty massive and blind – you can’t see a thing until

leaving. Also, the top guys would be in better shape, which would make for

you’re in the air!

better racing.

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Do you feel that the expectations of fans, sponsors and

Even just doing World Cups, how hard is it to stay on top of

organisers have increased with your success? Does this

your game throughout the season? Is that why you like to

affect you at the races?

have a break in the off-season?

I’m not sure. I guess when you win a race then they know you can do

It gets very hard towards the end of the season. It’s hard to stay focused

it again and might expect more to follow. I try not to deal with all of the

for six months and I am usually hanging to get home again by the end. I

added pressures and just try to get on with it.

find riding my bike a lot more fun after having time off it which is why I don’t do a lot during the off season.

What do you feel it is that allows you to remain focused enough to keep on winning at the world stage?

Just not wanting to be beaten is enough to keep me focused.

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Chris Benny How did you get started in photography?

Favourite shooting location and why?

What is the future for mountain biking?

Years and years ago at one of the National round’s

Probably the cliff edges Vincent Pernin took me to

Hopefully we will see more and more legalised

in Mount Beauty my dad passed me the camera and

recently.

spots for people to ride.

said ‘Oi punk, wanna have a go?’ Ever since, I

The view was breathtaking and scary. I was

always hogged the camera and shot like crazy.

hanging on the edge of a 200 foot cliff shooting

Do you still ride/race?

Vince ride inches from the edge. It was just one of

Yep, still ride on a regular basis. A bit of

When did you decide that you wanted to specialise in mountain bike photography?

those moments where I thought ‘This is awesome!”

Trials, Dirtjumping and Street.

What camera gear do you use?

Fears?

It just happened. I would always steal my brothers

Canon 1Ds Mrk III and Canon lenses / Flashes.

Dropping my camera.... Hehe.

for ideas.

What are your thoughts on the current state of DH mountain biking?

Hopes?

Any mentors or influences?

DH seems to be growing every day. There are so

Sterling Lorence and Chris Herron have always

many affordable bikes and an endless amount of

been people who have inspired me to shoot.

trails being built by local kids.

MTB magazines and look at all the awesome shots

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To ride and photograph as much as possible!

I had seen some shots of Shorty posted on an internet forum and was keen to meet up with him for a shoot. Shorty has a background in BMX and rips the skateparks and shreds the dirtjumps. He had only just picked up his new frame from his new sponsor Rhythm Imports and was keen to hit the jumps. I set up the lighting and watched the rain clouds creeping towards us. This shot was his 3rd attempt on the jump, whipping out a huge one foot flatty.

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It was late afternoon when I got a call from Alex, asking if I wanted to take some shots at Manly Vale. Once I got to the park, Alex was keen to ride, and had set up some generators to run lights so he and a few mates could ride into the night.I setup my flashes and waited for the sun to just drop below the horizon. Alex was busting huge off the quarter. I was trying to compose the shot and bent down to change lenses and noticed a gap in the railing framing Alex. I fine tuned the lighting and got the shot. Soon after getting the shot, I put down the camera and grabbed my bike to join in on the session.

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A few weeks before Shorty entered a BMX competition on his MTB and placed third. To say the least, he has some serious skill. He awed everyone at Campbelltown while flying high with no foot canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and huge supermans. I set up my lighting and again waited for the afternoon light. The sun set and produced an awesome deep blue graduated backdrop.

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I had some spare time and was keen to shoot something a little different.

I pulled out my bike rig and mounted my camera to my bike. Mounted a flash and set off to take some shots.

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Steve Behr How did you get started in photography?

capture their moves. Without those guys pushing it,

I’d always wanted to get a decent camera and when

the pictures wouldn’t be anywhere near as good.

I started work after leaving law school I spent my

characters in it still and that keeps it interesting.

What is the future for mountain biking?

The bug bit and I kept learning and shooting as

Favourite shooting location and why?

much as I could.

Hmm… tough one. Probably the last one I took a

for the riders as there was in the heyday of downhill

good picture at! The Alps are always inspiring, the

racing, and there are some talented riders not

When did you decide to specialise in mountain bike photography?

scenery and backdrops are second to none in places

making as good a living out of it as they deserve to.

like Chamonix, and Whistler always has good action

Not sure if that will turn around or not, but I hope

As my interest in photography developed, I started

going on. Bizarrely enough I still get a kick out of

it does. The level of riding continues to rise, and I

getting into mountain biking, and the two interests

shooting on my local common, I guess ‘cos its home

think it will continue to do so.

coincided and progressed together.

and I’ve seen it in so many moods and shades of

early pay cheques on an SLR and a couple of lenses.

Any mentors or influences?

Phew, big question. There isn’t as much money in it

light. Its still enjoyable and a challenge to find a new

Do you still ride/race?

angle, and always fun when the light is good.

I don’t race, but I ride several times a week usually, mostly for fitness these days.

I had an early mentor in mountain biking photography who was shooting for Bicycle Action at the

What camera gear do you use?

time, Mark Wohlwender. I remember him being very

I went with Canon from the early EOS 1 in about

Fears?

helpful to me at early races, giving me tips and

1990, and have been through all their various bod-

That I’ll run out of cf cards just as the perfect shot

suggestions which kind of set me on my way. An old

ies, now using the EOS 1d mk II and 1DS, about to

presents itself…

friend from home (South Africa, Onne van der Wal

upgrade to the Mk III. I have a range of lenses from

who is now a top marine/yachting photographer in

15mm through to 300, and several flashes includ-

Hopes?

the United States, has also been influential, and is

ing a Quantum Qflash, with pocket wizards to fire

That I don’t run out of cf cards just as the perfect

still inspiring. And a couple of ski photographers I

them. And a range of bags to carry them in, from

shot presents itself…

worked with in the early 90’s inspired me too – Tony

Lowepro, Thinktank and Crumpler.

McLaughlin and Marko Shapiro. Also, a lot of the pages of Surfer magazine over the years have been

What are your thoughts on the current state of DH mountain biking?

inspiring. But mostly it’s the riders I’ve worked

It just seems to get faster and the riders are

with over the years that have inspired me to try to

getting good younger. Great to watch. Some good

surf photographers whose work has graced the

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Dreams?

That I manage to capture the perfect shot when it presents itself.

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Victor Lucas

How did you get started in photography?

course which is where it all started for me. Then

– to short track ‘min-dh’ races. This is also good

there’s all the great documentary, portrait and

as it gives more people a chance to race without

My parents were into photography, not profession-

lifestyle photographers like Cartier Bresson, Garry

getting blown away by the best riders around. On

ally or anything but I guess I got an interest there. I

Winogrand, Weegee. Also the National Geographic

the not so good side – I think DH fashion is pretty

grew up in the countryside so bikes were a big part

photographers like David Alan Harvey. Documentary

confused. People can’t decide whether skinsuits

of life – transport, fun whatever. I was into bmx in

photographers like Don McCullin and Sebastiao

are cool or geeky, and the only other alternative is

the 80’s and then moto-cross in a small way after

Salgado.

‘MX-Lite’. Something new and original please Mr Fashion Designer. From a photographers point of

that. The first local moto race I went to with my dad,

view I especially hate all the black kit that seems to

Afterwards I discovered there was no film in it.

Favourite shooting location and why?

Then for years I just messed around having fun with

Anywhere new with interesting possibilities. It’s the

flash on nearly everything.

taking photos of all sorts of things. For a while I

adventure and search for some amazing riding spot

went to all the local moto-x races and sold prints to

that keeps me going. When you go back to a race

riders in the pub afterwards.

venue many times it’s hard not to repeat yourself.

When did you decide to specialise in mountain bike photography?

What camera gear do you use?

replaced by smooth flowing A-line style trails that

Canon 1D mark II, Canon 5D, 580ex flashgun

run downhill in whatever direction you happen to be

It was a long slow process. In about ’92 I dis-

Lenses – 15mm fisheye, 24mm, 50mm, 85mm and

going. Ha Ha.

covered mountain biking during the boredom of a

135mm. Sometimes a 70-200 or 300.

summer beach holiday in Spain. Tearing around the

A big, heavy and powerful Quantum flash Pocket

Do you still ride/race?

sheep tracks behind the beach resort on a piece

Wizard radio flash triggers and some home-made

What do you mean ‘still’? Do I look old and frail or

of crap rent-a-bike was much better than lying on

flash cables Batteries, memory cards, Dictaphone,

something? I ride whenever I get a chance. Usually

the beach with all the other pale and flabby Irish

coloured flash gels, lens cloth, ipod Ricoh

that’s once or twice a week, other times its 4 or 5

tourists. Then I discovered Dirt mag and became

GX100 compact

days in a row. I enjoy everything from XC to DH, just

I borrowed his camera to take photos of the action.

be so popular at the moment. Means I have to use

What is the future for mountain biking?

Cars will be banned and all major roads will be

don’t ask me to huck off anything bigger than about

obsessed with mountain bikes. I guess like a lot of

3 feet high.

to take pictures of the things you are passionate

What are your thoughts on the current state of Downhill

about. I started going to races and by trial and

Jeez. How long do you want this to be? I think it will

Fears?

many errors slowing started to get a few reason-

be an interesting World Cup race season – a couple

Not being able to ride and take photos. Or somebody

able shots. I started sending a few in to Mike Rose

of new venues, lots of people moving around to

getting badly hurt when riding for my camera, it’s

[editor of Dirt] and eventually he caved in and used

new teams, so riders will surely find new inspira-

not worth it for a picture in a magazine.

one from a race in Ireland. That was 6 years ago

tion (or want to impress new sponsors) and they

and I just kept at it, eventually I was actually able to

will up their game. I know the Athertons have been

Hopes?

make a living out of it.

working harder than ever over the winter getting

To keep on doing the things I love, with people who

people I thought it would be really cool to get paid

bikes dialled and training their asses off, so it could

are passionate about it. To create something that

Any mentors or influences?

be a good year for them. The World Champs being

other people find either interesting, amusing or en-

Too many to mention. Every good photo I see is an

early is a weird one, it doesn’t give much time for

tertaining. To not waste time doing stuff that nobody

influence. All the photographers who shoot for the

things to build up, it might be over before we know

appreciates.

best mountain bike mags like Dirt, Decline and Bike

it. I think there’s some great stuff happening with

- Bliss, Rose, Gibson, Fearon, Dawson, Spomer,

bike parks opening in ski-resorts all over the place.

Dreams?

Flipper, Frankowski. BMX photographers like Rob

There seems to be more and more variety of races

To ride every good trail and photograph every

Dolecki, Manu Sanz, Ricky Adam. Lots of other

happening – from endurance events like the Mega-

interesting person on the planet.

sports too like skate, snowboard, and moto-x of

valanche to many different levels of local DH races

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Sven Martin How did you get started in photography?

ogy has come along way. Some companies “get it” others still try pay

My Dad taught me the basics as a kid shooting lions and elephants,

for photos with valve caps and tyre levers.

then my brother got me into surf and skate photography for some South African Mags, and that carried over into MTB as I got into it.

What is the future for mountain biking?

Hopefully better TV coverage worldwide, which will attract bigger

When did you decide to specialise in mountain bike photography?

corporate interest to the sport, which will be beneficial for the teams,

Started racing DH fairly late in life (28yrs old) and got fully into the

More endurance DH events in crazy locations with big prize purses. Is

sport like a grom. Achieved my race goals and just recently began

the future already here with Sam Hill?

riders and everyone involved in racing.

focusing more on photography. Less injuries for me that way, but still get to travel and ride the best places in the world with all my great

Do you still ride/race?

friends I’ve met along the way.

Yeah I still do both, but it was tough last year doing some world cups and world champs while still having to deliver good shoots at the same

Any mentors or influences?

time. This year I will have to be more selective in my racing and pick

Liked the work of all the great skate photographers. Atiba and Brit-

some smaller ones and maybe the masters worlds, who knows. As long

tain. The Spomer and Flipper have been good influences and helped me

as I’m healthy and injury free I will always race, just leave the World

along the way. And Breachie (Damian) the underground Aussie legend.

Cup racing to the younger faster pros, who I have a better chance of getting a good photo of than beating on the race track.

Favourite shooting location and why?

No one favourite. That’s the great part about the job. New places

Fears?

every week. Its awesome and challenging to do scenic places justice

Computers Crashing, Losing Luggage, Injuries and X-Rays.

and make shitty places look good.

Hopes?

What camera gear do you use?

Stay healthy, keep travelling, Keep riding.

Canon… 1DMKIII and a bunch of lenses and a bunch of flashes and things that need way too many batteries and chargers, wires and

Dreams?

adapters for different countries. The 15mm fish and 70-200 2.8 does

Have a couple of houses in different parts of the world taking advan-

the bulk of the work.

tage of the best beaches for surfing and best mountains for riding.

Keep travelling and going on new adventures with my wife Anka.

What are your thoughts on the current state of DH mountain biking?

Couldn’t be better in terms of the level of riding, skill and competition.

Could be better in the sense that there is not a lot of talent out there not being supported or paid what they are worth. Bikes and technol-

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TOP RIGHT

BOTTOM RIGHT

One of my favourite shots that never saw the light of day. I don’t know if it’s the whites of her eyes, her focus or the fact that she is off the brakes that makes this shot. Having the white rainbow jersey on definitely completes the package though.

Nathan Rennie always dominates @ Sea Otter, both in results and presence. The big man on a small bike always turns heads. Dual Slalom

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Pierre Edouard Ferry from Lyon France gets creative on an old abandoned mine shaft during the filming of a music video for MTV with German band, 4 Lyn

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The Neethling brothers have to thank their parents for their genes. Jonty and Andrew both have some of the best style in the business. Even if its just squeezing a few extra inches out of the local pumptrack

Andrew Neethling at home on the slalom course in South Africa, carrying the coveted SA-MTB Number 1 plate

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Nathan Rennie hydrating after a long day of practice at Mont Sainte Anne. Always a chararcter and full of laughs, but still a threat on any given day.

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Stephen Hillenbrand How did you get started in photography?

When I eventually saved up 400 bucks and got my first SLR so I could

What are your thoughts on the current state of DH mountain biking?

shoot my mates on Skateboard and BMX in the early nineties.

The future holds a lot in Australia as long as the upcoming juniors get support from the AIS and larger corporate bodies. World cup in

When did you decide to specialise in mountain bike photography?

‘08 will be interesting with a few new tracks and everyone wanting

4 years ago with help from mates.

lycra, cool. Boys in lycra. No Deal.

Any mentors or influences?

What is the future for mountain biking?

Mentored by everyone but no one in particular, Influences any day

Your guess is as good as mine, Olympics? Lighter Hardware? Catch

could be, Zielinski , Gourlay, Pollack, Holmes, Lucas, Jonze, Harookz,

bmx? Big mountain freeride return?

to knock Hill off. But I want to see more chicks racing. I mean girls in

O’meally, Chisholm, Benny, Mapstone the list goes on. Really any photo that jumps out and says ‘shit yeah’ influences me.

Do you still ride/race?

Yeah for sure, if it’s not at my local trails it’s down to the bottle’o for a

Favourite shooting location and why?

long neck of Coops red.

Anywhere the guys are riding and they are having fun. It would be nice to live in a country where the scenery is snowcapped with massive

Fears?

mountains, it would make MTB photography so much easier. Whats that

Shark munching me in the green room. The next male fashion

saying. Location location…

explosion. OS rider on this cover.

What camera gear do you use?

Hopes?

I shoot Canon DSLR gear with the best glass I can afford. I have

Healthy spawn.

some bags and with remote triggers, flashes, stands and batteries, which are the drain of my life, last count I had over 50 for my flashes

Dreams?

and triggers. I’m sure everyone here has better gear than me, even

Guitar Hero III, Expert, Fire and Flames.

the nikonians.

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We had some fires rage through a local trail a while back, after a few days of hot backing sun the dirt was like a soft powder dust. Alan is known for his big Freeride and dirt jumping skills but also love to get a bit sideways from time to time. 200mm 1/250th sec at f4.5 2 flashes.

12 hours before his flight to Whistler Loius Maddiford had to get one last ride in. Using natural terrain as quarter down near the Torrens River in Adelaide. I pushed him to try and barspin it but he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to injure himself before the long haul. He would have pulled thou. Fish 1/160th sec at f4.5 and a couple of 120J flashes.

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SUNDAY SERIES OVER THE PAST FOUR RACE SEASONS THE 8 INCH TRAVEL dw-link SUNDAY DOWNHILL BIKE HAS PROVEN ITSELF TO BE AMONG THE MOST DOMINANT AND SOUGHT-AFTER BIKES IN THE MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD. WITH A PEDIGREE THAT INCLUDES WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, WORLD CUP VICTORIES, NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS, US OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS, AND COUNTLESS OTHER WINS ON NATIONAL, REGIONAL, AND LOCAL LEVELS, THE SUNDAY HAS BECOME THE BIKE-OF-CHOICE FOR SPONSORED PROS, PRIVATEERS, AND AMATEURS ALIKE. THE SUNDAY HAS CHANGED THE FACE OF DOWNHILL RACING BY PUTTING A WORLD CUP LEVEL, WORKS-TYPE MACHINE INTO THE HANDS OF THE FANS AND RIDERS THEMSELVES.

SUNDAY WORLDCUP SPECIFICATIONS

4 SUNDAY MODELS FOR 2009: TEAM TEAMX ELITE WORLD CUP

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FRAME 8” dw-LINK FORK ROCKSHOX BOXXER WORLD CUP SHOCK ROCKSHOX VIVID 5.1 R. DER X.0 F. DER E13 LG1 W TACO CRANK FSA GRAVITY 36T BB FSA MEGAEXO SHIFTER X.0 BRAKES CODE HUBS DT SWISS 240S-440 RIMS DT SWISS EX 5.10 SEATPOST FUNN V3 BAR FUNN FATBOY STEM FUNN RSX DIRECT MOUNT GRIPS/TAPE FUNN COMBAT GRIPS, LOCK-ON, BLACK SIZES 16,17,19

Aussie Big Mountain and Freeride Pioneer Grant Allen showing the kids how itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s done. Massive no foot can in a sunlit winter afternoon. I wish he rode his MTB more its fun shooting with him and his entourage. 300mm 1/500th sec at f5 and natural light.

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Dave West pushing it to the limits and railing hard. I really wanted to get a shot that showed him on the gas, I would have liked to get his eyes in this shot, so focussed all the time. This was the last photo I took before leaving Adelaide. 200mm 1/250th sec at f5 with 2 remote flashes.

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Alan Hepburn getting all euro over this one. Probably would have been better without the lurker in the background. I just love this kids style. 200mm 1/250th sec at f5 one remote flash.

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Chris Soininen pulls tricks when you least expect it. Busting out and styling it up at a late afternoon session at the Dirtbags freeride zone. He made the finals at Crankworks last year but didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get an invite this year? Such a Canadians boys club. Fish eye lense @ 1/320th sec at f7.1 with remote 2 flashes.

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If you come from Adelaide you will know this spot in the hills. A short fun trail that you can push up and get 6 or 7 in before having a beer at the pub. Nice little rim light used here to define Grant. 70mm 1/250th sec at 2.8 and 2 sunpak 555â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s.

Taken from the top of Eagle MTB park in the Adelaide Hills. Laurie mid race run and on to the podium. I love the feeling of riding this trail knowing you are only 15 mins to the city and the local pub. 70mm 1/800th sec at f4 natural light.

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