The night before I synchronized the clocks on the cameras so that I could later combine the shots from all the cameras in chronological order. After copying them to the computer I split up the pictures into sections and selected the ones I thought came out well.

This was my first time shooting an event with a digital SLR and wow, was it nice. There are shots I got that I'd have no chance of getting with a point and shoot (like the Lance shot), either because of lighting, or timing, or distance. There's something to be said for having the camera take 1 (or 9) shots instantly when I push the shutter release. I learned a few things along the way, too.

The first thing I learned is why you see pros carrying multiple cameras. The primary reason isn't so they have a spare but so they don't have to constantly swap lenses. This might not seem like a big deal but try doing this in a crowd of people in a hurry when your fingers are numb from cold and hope you get that next shot. A camera for each lens starts to seem like a good investment if you make your living taking photos. For many of these pros their lenses cost many times what they paid for the camera so the camera was effectively an accessory for the lens.

Another thing I learned is that you should a take a lot of pictures and don't expect most of them to come out. It's the few that come out well that really matter. I also learned that setting your camera on full auto is no substitute for a skilled photographer that knows how to set individual parameters for a particular shot. The pros having a photographer pass that let them get close to the action probably helps too. (hint, hint)

Of the over 600 pictures I took only a few dozen made the cut. Also, stuff happens really fast in a bike race so you need to be prepared for your shots and have some idea what you're going to do when the action arrives.

Next year I'll definitely come prepared, with gloves, ibuprofen, and leg warmers for that cold SF morning air, and better knowledge of how to handle a real camera.

Overall it was a great experience an incredibly exciting race. I got to meet some interesting people while shivering on Filmore waiting for the racers to come around every 25 minutes, and even got a short glimpse of Lance when he showed up briefly at the top of the hill (see misc pics).

If you've got a race in the bay area that you'd like a photographer let me know. I'd love to help you out while getting more experience shooting.