The Exmoor Beast Cycle Ride 2012
Pre-race and riders fuel up with porridge and coffee in Butlins
Paddy Dunne one of the first to get under-way at 0700.
0630 on a cold and wet Exmoor morning and Paddy Dunne a 51 year old from Wilton in Wiltshire waits to start his 3rd Exmoor Beast. Paddy tells me that this year he is doing the 100 miler and hopes to complete it sub 7 hours, his best time to date being 6hrs 50mins. Paddy rides about 14 of this type of event a year and races in shorter events every other weekend.
Once the race, or ride as I think it’s properly called, is under-way I head off to find my first location of the morning.
Countisbury Hill – its dark and raining.
I am of course early, it’s about 0730 and I have no idea when the first riders will come through so its a case of sitting and waiting, something I am very good at!
Sitting and waiting is something you get good at when you are a photographer.
I start to see cars come by with empty bike racks and figure it can’t be long now, there’s a fuelling station in Lynmouth just down the hill. Sure enough after about another half an hour I am pacing the side of the road when I hear the first flapping and swoosh of an approaching bike.
One of the first riders to come flying down Countisbury Hill
I spent the rest of the morning leapfrogging past the leading group of riders to the next place I wanted to photograph from. The rest of the photos are below, click on a thumbnail to open the slide show.
The Exmoor Beast is an amazing event I haven’t attended before and I look forward to the riders coming back to Exmoor next year. Well done to everyone who took part and I hope Paddy finished in under 7hrs.
Click here to view my Exmoor Beast cycling event 2012 photo gallery
Photos used under licence on these blogs :
Thomas Harold Whitcombe : London based graphic designer & printmaker
Velo Pixie – the road to l’Etape (and beyond) - account of one mans journey from overweight cycling novice to competing in the 2013 l’Etape du Tour
I love being freelance as I'm never really sure what's coming next and it pushes me to move outside my comfort zone – an essential in ensuring you never grow stagnant in your work.
