XMspread Freezing amazing fun Gaalen #MTBvanGaalen

#MTBvanGaalen

STORY & PHOTOGRAPHS ZOON CRONJE

Freezing amazing fun Gaalen The 6th round in the MTN National MTB Series driven

by Nissan

THE ACTION Matthys Beukes right at home flying through the flowing single track

THE SHOT I asked the pilot to get right on top of the rider and keep the chopper at the same speed as the rider that allowed me to easily follow the movement and get the shot crisp

THE SPECS 1/500 @ f5.6 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 70200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash

MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com

#MTBvanGaalen

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JUNE 2014

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Dusty “ In addition to the unforgiving rocky terrain riders were also challenged by sub-zero temperatures�

THE ACTION Barend Burger makes his signature early move to shake up the ensuing centipede of riders jostling for position in the early stages

THE SHOT I knew the route and knew there should still be a bunch before the first climb and with the sun behind the riders I was bargaining on some backbiting for the dust, it paid off

THE SPECS 1/800s @ f7.1 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash Lightroom levels

MORE INFO www.advendurance.com #MTBvanGaalen

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dawn xtremedia.co.za

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w s r

o k

n i S #MTBvanGaalen

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m i w

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i b n

i

ta n u

nd a g n i k

o m e h” u r t g u s a to w t i t a h was T

“ y o b

THE ACTION Lourens Luus makes his way over the floating bridge and in the frigid conditions you had to keep your wits about you to avoid a freezing swim

THE SHOT Having captured the race five years in a row this was my first time from the air and I wanted to get a unique perspective of this iconic part of the route

THE SPECS 1/1600s @ f6.3 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash Lightroom levels

MORE INFO www.zcmc.co.za

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It was freezing fantastic “ IThe frigid temperatures at the start did nothing to deter the furious pace set by the hard hitters in the MTN Ultra Marathon over the early part of the race�

THE ACTION

Our production crew on the MTN National MTB Series driven by Nissan wrote in the frost for their opening sequence highlighting just how cold it was at the start

THE SHOT I used the early morning sun and the glistening frost to freeze a frame showing the cold conditions

THE SPECS 1/125s @ f5.6 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle no flash

MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com

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THE ACTION Matthys Beukes leading from the front of the 8 man pack that broke away early in the race and dictated the pace

THE SHOT I used the natural lines to compose the image so the action pours out of the page

THE SPECS 1/500s @ f5.6 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no

MORE INFO www.advendurance.com

SIDE TRACKED “ What an awesome race, van Gaalen never disappoints” Typhoon via the Hubsa

#MTBvanGaalen

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Rocky rumble

“ As the name suggests Van Gaalen Cheese Farm is a working dairy farm where making cheese is a speciality.

On Saturday we also found out that, apparently, this is also where rocks are made…” Ben-Melt Swanepoel

THE ACTION The climb is called concrete collision but the tough technical rocky sections near the top op the concrete road is the real challenge

THE SHOT I waited close to the top of the climb and used the wide angle to almost get under the approaching rider to catch the action with the terrain in full view

THE SPECS 1/200s @ f11 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle lens both flashes fired SB910

MORE INFO www.nationalmtbseries.com #MTBvanGaalen

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THE ACTION Henry Uys makes his way across the potentially perilous floating bridge with a near perfect reflection on the icy smooth surface

THE SHOT I had to work hard for this shot, not only did I have to wait for the water to be perfectly still I also scale the rockface to a secluded vantage point low enough to get the reflection and lighting right

THE SPECS 1/250s @ f8 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash Lightroom levels

MORE INFO www.advendurance.com

Reflection #MTBvanGaalen

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perfection xtremedia.co.za

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RIDING

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HIGH THE ACTION

Following the tough climbs to the King of the Mountains riders drop into winding single track heaven

THE SHOT Shooting into the direction of the sun with the zoom lens gave the riders the hue silhouette effect that blended with the blue mountain backdrop

THE SPECS 1/800s @ f7.1 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash Lightroom levels

MORE INFO

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www.zooncronje.com

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Rugged rock

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reflection

“ #@% that was a leaker race, thanks to everyone who made it happen”

Riaan Coetzee THE ACTION Shaun-Nick Bester makes light work of the floating bridge

THE SHOT I wanted to capture the stark difference between the rugged rock face and smooth surface of the water below

THE SPECS 1/250s @ f8 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash Lightroom levels

MORE INFO www.zcmc.co.za

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Wild wonder THE ACTION The top riders startle a small herd of wildebeest descending from the top of the King of the Mountains climb

THE SHOT Only an hour from Johannesburg the Nissan TrailSeeker events I was happy to capture one of the many wildlife encounters to show off how special these routes really are

THE SPECS 1/250s @ f8 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash Lightroom levels

MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com

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LINED UP THE ACTION

Cross Country specialist Matthys Beukes driving the pace on the single track sections with the other top riders giving chase

THE SHOT The colour difference on either side of the trail caught my eye and the action splitting it through the middle made the shot for me

THE SPECS 1/200s @ f6.3 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 70200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash

MORE INFO www.zcmc.co.za

#MTBvanGaalen

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#MTBvanGaalen

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Sublime singletrack THE ACTION Riders winding down the section labeled “Rudy’s Trail” showing off just another sublime signature section of single track

THE SHOT Flying sideways behind the riders I waited till the entire group committed in the Sbends before I fired my shot to freeze the downhill frenzy

THE SPECS 1/200s @ f8 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash Lightroom levels

MORE INFO www.advendurance.com

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Upward and

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onwards THE ACTION

On of the Bestmed riders summits the “concrete collision� climb

THE SHOT I blasted both flashes straight into the sun using my wide angle to suck in the landscape and light the subject using the sun as backlight

THE SPECS 1/250 @ f8 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle lens both flashes fired SB910 Lightroom levels

MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com

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THE ACTION Yolandi du Toit kept her cool after losing touch with race leaders Ariane Kleinhans (seen pushing here) and Robyn de Groot and unwittingly passed them close to the finish to claim the win after they made a navigational error

THE SHOT It is not often you see Swiss marathon specialist Ariane Kleinhans pushing, I lined up the shot using the rule of thirds

THE SPECS 1/160s @ f6.3 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash

MORE INFO www.zcmc.co.za

Keep pushi

#MTBvanGaalen

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ing

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“Funtastic” “ The final Single track along the river really excellent riding, good fun”

Li Mu Bai

THE ACTION The bush tunnels and riverside single track ended the routes with smiles after a tough day out for most

THE SHOT I used my wide angle to make sure I get the rider and eoungh background to show off the bush tunnel closing over him

THE SPECS 1/200s @ f10 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle lens both flashes fired SB910

MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com #MTBvanGaalen

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Follow the leader THE ACTION Robyn de Groot leads out Ariane Kleinhans moments before an unfortunate wrong turn cost them both the win

THE SHOT Shooting from the air affords you the opportunity to capture the action you would otherwise never get close to

THE SPECS 1/250s @ f8 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash Lightroom levels

MORE INFO www.advendurance.com

#MTBvanGaalen

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Family fun

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THE ACTION Christi Pienaar taking her two 5 year old boys out on the 10km route that is designed for the whole family

THE SHOT Apart from the professional racing the family fun element is as much a part of the Nissan TrailSeeker events

THE SPECS 1/200s @ f16 Nikon D610 Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 wide angle lens both flashes fired SB910 Lightroom levels

MORE INFO www.zcmc.co.za

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RUN/BIKE/RUN THE ULTIMATE OFF-ROAD EXPERIENCE VENUE Heia Safari Ranch, North West Hakahana, Gauteng ARC Roodeplaat, Gauteng TBA.

DATE 26 Jul 23 Aug 06 Sept 25 Oct

DualX.co.za ADVENTURE ENDURANCE EVENTS

advendurance.com @advendurance 086199 0001 xtremedia.co.za

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TUNNEL VISION

THE ACTION One of the 40km riders makes his way through the bush tunnels that was a talking point after the race thanks to the sheer enjoyment factor

THE SHOT I used my zoom lens in portrait to really show the winding single track flowing through the reed tunnels

THE SPECS 1/320s @ f4.5 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash Lightroom levels

MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com

#MTBvanGaalen

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Luus at “ It was a ding dong battle all the

way and I’m really happy with the win after an awesome day out”

Lourens Luus

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THE ACTION

last

Lourens Luus announced his comeback to the top step in spectacular fashion sprinting over the line in first for the second time in the 2014 series

THE SHOT I used the shade and the single track together with the direction of the action according to the rule of thirds to compose the image

THE SPECS 1/400s @ f5 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash Lightroom levels

MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com

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Into the abyss THE ACTION Kevin Evans leads Lourens Luus into the abyss after claiming the King of the Mountains prime

THE SHOT Flying low behind the action just behind the rise and shooting into the direction of the sun with my zoom lens afforded me the slight hue in the image with the blue mountains in the background to give the image depth

THE SPECS 1/800s @ f7.1 Nikon D610 body Nikkor 70200mm f2.8 zoom lens no flash Lightroom levels

MORE INFO www.zooncronje.com

#MTBvanGaalen

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JE RO N NC ZO O OT O: PH

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