Cambridge and its Bicycles

Camcycle are organising a Cycling Festival in Cambridge during September and. along with John Lewis, who are putting on an appropriate display in their store, asked CCC to submit some images. Here are a few I took yesterday in the sunshine (you may get the rainy set sometime but I seem to have shared a lot of wet images recently!). The difficuly was getting images without large masses of 'untidy' tourists in the frame!

 

 

 

Olympic Park in Winter Light and Velodrome

Took the coach up to Stratford intending to walk through Olympic Park and along the River Lea and Limehouse Cut to visit the Winter Lights display at Canary Wharf. The light was so attractive in the Park that we spent some time on the buildings and then found a fair amount of activity in the Velodrome so in the end did the River Lea Section (to follow) and then caught the DLR to be in time for dusk at the Lights (to follow). Interested to see the Olympic Stadium now decked in West Ham colours and Regalia. 

 

Olympic Park Stratford. 2 Velodrome, Canal and Trees

We were fortunate to have at least a few cyclists trying out the track at the Velodrome. I decided to use my fish-eye  (first four images). Panning with this proved interesting (image two) as it is very difficult to keep the horizon straight. Also a few more images of the canal, boats and graffiti and a couple of arty silver birch images - the second a double exposure.

Celebration of Cycling

Addenbrookes Arts asked for 10 images Celebrating Cycling leading up to the Tour de France, which visits Cambridge on the 7th July. I asked Michael Poole (website) to share the space with me (the five images displayed on the walls below - as yet without labels etc) as he has some great racing images. I supplied the more pictorial side though my first image (top left) was taken in London the last time the Tour visited the UK in 2007. 

The bicycle with rear wheel drive was introduced in the late 19^th century replacing the previously popular high-wheeler invented earlier in the century (penny farthing etc).This shifted their use from being a dangerous toy for sporting young men to being an everyday transport tool for men—and, importantly, women—of all ages.

In this Celebration of cycling , timed to coincide with the Tour de France visit to Cambridge on July 7^th 2014, we show both the sporting side of Cycling (images 1-6) and as a means of getting to work (image 7), rushing to lectures (image 8), transporting the dog (image 9) and lastly showing our respect for the bicycle as a much-loved friend (image 10)

Last evening The Halfords Tour Series visited Peterborough. It  is a ten round city centre cycling race series with 50 minute race for women and 1 hour for men. I tried various ideas during the two races. Panning for the men's race was very difficult as they moved very fast and we are close to the action. I tried 1/40 second to 1/200 sec and found around 1/160th gave the most consistent results but not very exciting.The last two shots were taken towards the end of the race and you can see the effort that they are making