Originally uploaded by collective.dust
I took the afternoon off to go and check out the World Cup atmosphere at Mt Stromlo.
The big name riders that made the trip to Australia were all very approachable for a chat and more than willing to sign an autograph or have a photo taken. I had a quick chat to Sam Hill about his race preparation and whether he felt the course had improved since last time – he said the extended rock garden was alot of fun but still didn’t like the pedally section to the line. Sam’s plans were to race the next round of the world cup at Schladming and then head off to Interbike in Las Vegas before heading home for a well earned rest. While it seems like a great lifestyle racing bikes all over the world, I imagine that living out of a suitcase, sleeping in a different bed every night and being away from your family would take it’s toll.
Up on the hill the track was getting dusty and bit blown out in sections. The new Canon 40D went well and is a huge improvement on the little IXUS I was using previously. The 6.5 frames per second combined with the AI – F servo tracked the fast moving riders really well and I got a few good shots.
The big news for the day was Matti Lehikoinen had a bad crash in the ‘Stutters’ section just above ‘Triple Treat’ and snapped both his wrists! Poor guy, he broke his back last year and was lucky to be able to ride again and now this will end his 2008 season.
Tomorrow I will be getting out there early to try and get an elusive Hill training shot. Sam only does 2 practice runs a day so I better be sharp on the shutter finger.
