Life is good!

life is good, originally uploaded by Andy Waterman.

Factory visit, Cane Creek cycling components

Louisville CX Masters Worlds course

Louisville CX worlds course, originally uploaded by Andy Waterman.

I'm racing the World Masters this weekend for Rouleur. It is hellish. I'm not being melodramatic when I say its like the Somme.
My race is tomorrow, Friday. When we were at the course today it started snowing, and since then the temperature has dropped to 25f, which is somewhere in the minus figures in centigrade.
I.E. Fucking cold
I'm dreading it, and not just because it's cold and miserable, but because I'm really underprepared with what I could bring - no spare bike, no wheels, no bags of kit to keep me warm and dry.
You forget how much you rely upon being able to drive to races to take all the gear you need.
Also, since my training ride in the freezing rain this morning, I've got a really sore knee – as most of the course is only really passable on foot now that means PAIN.
One more hour of suffering and the season is over. I can't wait.

Shear Wizardry

Shear Wizardry, originally uploaded by Andy Waterman.

I'm in Louisville, Kentucky, and I'm thinking about getting a haircut.

Top 30

nat_series_bradford_seniors-100, originally uploaded by britishcycling.org.uk photos.

Finally, I scored a top 30 result in a National Trophy cross race - my first point-scoring result of the season so far.
I didn't feel particularly good but I was at least able to ride all the technical bits on the course. That made a big difference and meant I was able to beat Andrew Nichols - a guy I was pretty competitive with this time last year - for the first time this season. That made me happy.
Now for a few weeks of relative calm before Nationals and then the World Masters Chmaps in the USA.

Spectra Show, London Newcastle Gallery

Jen Stark, Counter Cosmo

My mate Ed at the The Future Tense has curated a really fantastic show at the London Newcastle Project Space on Rivington Street in East London. He's brought together a group of artists whose bold use of colour is a perfect antidote to a wet December evening in grimy Shoreditch, and presented their work in a huge, but strangely inviting space, with seriously impacting lighting.
The show runs until 18 December and is highly recommended.

Lee Baker, Refractive Monolith

Chuck Elliott, Radial / One

Derby cyclocross weekend

More shots and a write-up on the vicious velo blog

Sylvain Chavanel, en-route to winning the French Championships, Boulogne 2011

CLICK THE PIC TO SEE IT LARGE ON FLICKR, originally uploaded by Andy Waterman.

Waaaaaaayyyy back in June I was lucky enough to get a commission from Cycle Sport Magazine to go to Boulogne for the day to shoot the French National Champs. It was a great day with sunshine, brilliant racing on a great, short circuit, and a deserving winner.

And there was sunshine!

There are more shots in the new issue of Cycle Sport magazine, available in the UK and USA right now.

Shot on the left - Canon 30d, 10-22mm lens, and an on camera flash. Shot on the right - Canon 7d, 100mm f2 lens, wide open.

For the magazine, check out cyclesportmag.com