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Best of - Bikes

I had a totally awesome experience this year as I covered the Hotter'N Hell 100 from the starting point this year... the first time I've done that before.

But that wasn't the only bike riding that I shot this year.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Dozens of cyclists navigate the rolling landscape along FM 2332 east of Petrolia during the Byers Bike Bash Saturday morning. Organizers say nearly 350 people registered for the first-year ride.

The Byers Bike Bash had a awesome turnout for a first-year event. It was a blast to photograph as the terrain was totally different from the annual HHH and provided a bit more to look at in the way of photos. Something about boring flat land just doesn't do it for me for a bike shot.

Of course... I didn't get the really awesome watertower shot with all of the riders going past like I had wanted... but there will always be next year. I'm fairly certain that this is one ride that will have a good following of people year after year.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
A cyclist pedals along the bicycle trail near Southwest Parkway Tuesday evening.

This was one of those random times when the bosses needed a beauty shot of the trail system for a story they were working on.

Of course, they asked me shortly after lunch when the sun was really high in the sky and it wouldn't have made a very pretty shot IMO. So, I took the liberty of time and waited until much later in the afternoon when the light would cast stark shadows. I had staked out a location and knowing the trails like I do I knew there would be folks riding their bikes under the bridge at Southwesk Parkway...

I also knew there was the pretty wooden bridge they would cross. It was a simple stakeout from that point. Just wait long enough in one spot and somebody will come to you.

Sure... folks were honking at me as they were driving by and I even got a text message from a friend who had seen me and told me "not to jump."

But I knew the shot I wanted and was willing to stand next to a busy road to get it.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
A sea of colorful jerseys and riders fills Scott Street in downtown Wichita Falls before the mass start of the 2008 Hotter'N Hell 100 Saturday morning. More than 11,200 riders filled the streets.

I now know what it must have been like to witness the great herds of buffalo roaming the countryside in the early 1800s....but with more color and spandex.

The mass start for the Hotter'N Hell 100.... 11,000+ locking in their pedals and starting one of the more grueling races in this part of the country. It was freaking awesome.

I do wish I had a higher vantage point to shoot it from... and I may take a ladder down there next year to get a higher view to see further down the line, but none-theless it was pretty cool.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Hundreds of cyclists make their way towards the Scott Street bridge over the railroad tracks during the mass start of the 2008 Hotter'N Hell 100 in downtown Wichita Falls Saturday morning.

And once they got going... I simply had to just turn around to get the other view as they left downtown.

It's funny because you see such a range of people doing this event... from the professionals to the guys who think they're professionals to those who have a lighter view of life.

One of my faves was the guy towing a child cart with a boom box blasting songs.

After they finished filing out of downtown... I simply sat around and waited until they came back to town... it was a thrilling finish that had me guessing who to focus on until the very last of the race...

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Christian Helmig, from Flower Mound, (in center) races to the finish with a breakaway pack during the Men's Pro 1 category of the Michelob Ultra Road Race during the 27th annual Hotter'N Hell 100 Saturday, August 23, 2008 in Wichita Falls. Helmig would hold his slight lead and take the title.

Jason Palmer/Times Record News
Christian Helmig, from Flower Mound, pumps his fist after winning the Pro 1 category of the Michelob Ultra Road Race during the 27th annual Hotter'N Hell 100 Saturday, August 23, 2008 in Wichita Falls.

It was a total hoot and I hope I get to hang out in the downtown area again next year.

Posted by Jason Palmer at 4:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)