At the Race Finish Line

My region has an annual bicycle race that raises money for a certain charity. There are probably many similar events in other regions. This particular one has many non-professional cyclists entering, people who have not ridden a race before, but are often encouraged by their co-workers to participate. It’s great to support not only the charity but some of the riders who become incredibly enthusiastic about embarking on their own journeys.

A few years ago, I attended to support a family member who was riding. Because there were a group of friends going together, I basically ended up in charge of parking the car. And also taking some photos of the finishers.

I stayed at the race finish line, camping out right near the official photographer. The problem in taking a picture of somebody finishing is that you can’t identify them before they ride through, so if you don’t snap the shot early, you risk missing the moment completely.

When the first person I recognized came through, I started snapping pictures. Fifteen or twenty minutes later, I had taken pictures of not only everyone in our group.

There were also photos of dozens of other riders, most of whom I did not know.

Looking back on this a few years later, I almost feel like a voyeur who took pictures of a lot of unsuspecting riders. But then I realized, this was a public event and they knew they were getting their pictures taken right there by the race photographer anyway. So why not me, too?

Here, then, are a bunch of random strangers who rode through the finish line. I kind of like that it’s essentially the same frame with different people riding through it. Maybe in the future, I’ll just set up a trail cam like those nighttime snapshots of wild animals who are coming to a creek to drink.

Looking at these again, I am struck by the sense of pride, joy, accomplishment, relief, and other emotions that we can sense from the various riders. Job well done.

Thumbnail image: Montage incorporating Looney Tunes, copyright Warner Brothers.