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According to the weather forecasters, the rain was supposed to stop after six in the morning on the day of the race. However, about the time it was supposed to stop is when it actually started.

My trip to Woodstock was uneventful, as usual, and I was the first to show up at “The Pines.” I opened the gate, drove down to the parking lot to see no one was there, then drove back to the gate and parked in the weeds to be sure I was out of everyone's way. It was at that moment that the rain began. It wasn't a heavy rain, but it was persistant.

Soon after, the race organizers began to show, as did the racers. It amazed me how quickly the portable tents went up and everything just came together. For a few minutes, it looked like total chaos because everything was happening at once, but before long, it was all done and the fun began.

The main race was a six-hour endurance race. The rider or team completing the most laps would be declared the winner. They started with a LeMans style start where all the riders came down the laneway and spread out before entering the trail. It started well but, because of the weather conditions, I wasn't sure of which lens or what camera settings to use. It didn't take long to realize I made the wrong decision on both accounts.

Once all the riders were in the trail, I entered the exit. My plan was to walk the trail in reverse and pick locations where I felt I could get good action shots. I changed the camera settings but I stayed with the small lens for the first set of pictures. I felt quite welcomed here because I was getting thumbs up from the riders, as well as wheelies and other forms of showing off. I then realized the small lens wasn't going to give me the images I was after so I switched to my familiar long lens. I chose a faster shutter speed but not too fast to make the pictures dark. It seemed to work fine and I stuck with those settings throughout the day.

The race began at 10:00 am so six hours would have meant the race was to end at 4:00 pm. I don't remember how long the course was, distance-wise, but I figured I could cover it in six hours. The rain never really quit; it just kind of alternated through periods of downpour and light drizzle. I didn't mind. I like the rain and I was prepared for just about anything. Unfortunately, I was overprepared. I took too much equipment, too much food and water, and too much weather protection which I never even used. All this extra weight took its toll on my body.

After awhile, I found a great spot to sit. There was a long straight stretch where I could see the riders approaching. I sat there for awhile but the weight of my pack was too much. So, I sat on the ground, leaned back against my pack, using it as a cushion and put my feet up on my folding stool. I got some pretty interesting comments from the riders -- one even thought I was a crashed rider when he first saw me.

Before long, I heard it announced that the kids' race was going to start at 1:00. I could hear the loudspeaker clearly so I knew I wasn't far from the parking lot. There was a shortcut through the weeds behind me that I knew took me in that direction (I found that last month when I was checking out the trails). I knew I wouldn't have time to go any further into the trails so I captured the remainder of the images from my relaxing position.

Before I left, I took this shot of the trail to show just how muddy it was becoming.

The kids' race was cute. I believe I heard them referred to as “The Young Utters” or “The Little Utters.” I chose a spot, just in from the starting line and waited for the race to begin. It started differently from the adults' race. The kids were released one at a time. As I did with the adult race, I began to walk the course in reverse. Before long, it was obvious who was dominating but the race was young. Some of these kids had never raced before and, not understanding the need for pacing themselves, were just going for the win.

The race was supposed to be an hour in length but was stopped after 30 minutes. I never found out why but this is the first kids' race at “The Pines” and an hour may have been too long. While it lasted, it was a lot of fun to watch.

Once the kids' race was finished, I found myself so exhausted and sore, I could barely walk. I made the decision that I wasn't going back into the trails to finish covering the main event which still had two and a half hours to go. My body was beginning to rebel and I knew my time was done.

All in all, the day was a success for me. Despite the weather, I captured some great images. In the days leading up to the race, I was battling a nasty cold and was having mysterious car troubles that were causing a lot of stress. Because I have fibromyalgia, any illness or stress that I encounter, causes me problems that a healthy person wouldn't experience. In the early morning hours, when I left home, my car started acting up again and I almost didn't go but I needed to photograph this race to prove to myself that I could ... or couldn't. Either way, I needed to know.

I would very much have liked to have been there for the completion of all the events but I am grateful for what I was able to accomplish. I owe Ryan (of the Woodstock Cycling Club) some credit here as well. Had it not been for his invitation and all the help he gave showing me the course and explaining the events, I never would have been there on October 3rd.

There is one more thing that I would like to point out. Throughout the day, I noticed several other photographers hanging out in the parking lot. They appeared to have better equipment than I did and I found this intimidating at first. But I realized it wouldn't have mattered if there were 1000 other photographers there. I was the only one that ventured into the trails to get close to the action; both with the main event and the kids' race. This is the point that I always stress that sets me apart from the other photographers. I like to get into the action; get hit by the rocks and mud as the bikes go by. I like to get the pictures that no one else gets. That's what makes me happy. By the end of the day, I believed I had accomplished this.

Hopefully, when the next opportunity presents itself, my health will be better and I will actually be able to stay the entire day.

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