Finally getting around to a project I've been thinking about for some time, to write a blog about my dual passions of cycling and photography. I'm doing this for a variety of reasons which I will expand on in the posts that follow, but for now, here goes - my first blog post.
I've never really been able to tell whether my love of cycling or photography came first but I do know that as soon as I took my first photo of a bike race (below) I was hooked on both..
The photo was taken in Ardcroney, Co. Tipp on June 13, 1977 as the third stage of the Rás Tailteann approached the stage finish in Nenagh, on the 160km trek from Boyle in Co. Roscommon. I myself had cycled the 15km to Ardcroney, with my Kodak Instamatic 133 camera, a gift from the previous Christmas. In the camera I had a 12 exposure film. My over enthusiasm as the advance motorcade arrived meant that by the time the lead riders passed I had one frame left. Despite its obvious imperfections the resultant image remains one of my favourite photos, as it transports me back to the time when this dual love affair was born.
Having been an avid cyclist and photographer most of my life I have for some time had the idea of combining these in some way. I am now finally embarking on this journey and over the coming weeks and months I am planning a project which will hopefully allow me to indulge in both by documenting my combined cycling and photography trips throughout 2023.
A key component of this adventure is the impending acquisition of an e-bike. I have been watching the rapid development of these in recent times and I feel the time is now right to get my hands on one and have it kitted out with panniers to carry my camera equipment. I am not ditching either my road or mountain bike however and still plan to use these in the usual way. The e-bike however will allow me travel further and more regularly with my camera gear.
Nature and landscape photographers will no doubt identify with the often experienced frustration while driving and witnessing something across the fields, over a wall or on the distant horizon, and finding nowhere safe to park. The next few miles are racked with frustration over the potential photo left behind.
Throughout the blog I also intend to highlight the advantages of the e-bike. Over the past year or so I have researched this quite a bit and had a few test rides and found that, like many new technologies, they are continually improving while also becoming more affordable. Similar to electric cars, range anxiety is also becoming less of an issue, though the bike has the advantage in that it will still get you home should the battery run out.
So that's it for now, I've made a start and, more importantly for me, a commitment. Looking forward to the journey ahead.