2022 was another great year for capturing mountain bike event photography for the Rowdy Gowdy Women’s Camp in Wyoming! It’s always an honor and a pleasure to photograph this wonder group of women in beautiful Wyoming.
Rowdy Gowdy Women’s Camp
As a mountain biker, I appreciate the way this skills camp is structured. In the mornings, skills are taught and practiced around the camp, then, in the afternoon, the trainers lead rides in Curt Gowdy State Park where the students practice what they just learned. The mornings begin with easy lessons, such as popping little wheelies to get your front tire over small objects like rocks or tree roots. As the morning progresses, they learn more difficult skills, such as climbing multiple steps and jumping off taller objects. Of course, how to change a tire and lube your chain is also part of the curriculum.
Afternoon rides are often split-up into 2 or more rides. For example, one ride might be easier, another harder or longer, another group might stay at the camp to practice more skills. During the afternoon rides, at least one trainer will lead while another will bring-up the rear, to make sure no one gets left behind.
Curt Gowdy
Curt Gowdy State Park in Southern Wyoming is an amazing mountain bike playground that anyone of any skill level will enjoy. It sits between Laramie and Cheyenne, Wyoming, off of Happy Jack Road (210). These trails were built by mountain bikers, for mountain bikers. This means, the women and men that built the trails, ride what they build. In addition, there are often alternative routes. For example, the Stone Temple Circuit is relatively easy. If you’d like to challenge or test your skills a little, there’s the occasional option just off the trail to do just that. If you’d like to test your skills even more, there are often alternate routes that are longer and more difficult.
There is something for every skill level in this park. According to MTBProject.com, there’s 82 miles of trails, including 9 easy trails, 20 intermediate trails, and 11 difficult trails.
Photography
Taking photos for the 2022 Rowdy Gowdy women’s mountain biking event kept me busy. It was a fun, full weekend, and we got lots of great photos. I’ve learned from experience, to keep my distance from the riders. They need to focus on what they’re doing and not me. I do not want them to worry about whether they’re going to run over me or not. During the skills sessions in the mornings, I use my 28-300 zoom lens. This allows me to zoom in to get those close shots, or zoom out if I want a more spacious shot that includes some of the wonderful Wyoming mountainous background.
While on the trails, I carried a 20MP compact mirrorless camera with a 24-75mm equivalent lens. It has a tilt screen for when I need to get close to the ground, or shoot overhead. I carry this on my bike for quick and easy access. This set-up is great because it’s compact and lightweight. Something I greatly appreciate while riding.
I cannot talk highly enough about the Rowdy Gowdy Women’s Camp and the trainers. They are all absolutely wonderful, patient, kind, and talented people. Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or advanced mountain biker, or just want to practice or meet other like-minded mountain bikers and have a great time, I highly recommend this camp. Check their website often and sign-up early, as this camp is popular and fills-up quick.
