2010 Bob Riccio Tour De Pitman Bike Race

The main pack climbs the hill on Cedar ave. during the Bob Riccio Memorial Tour de Pitman June 12 2010.

This morning the Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce and downtown bike shop Caffeinated Cyclist hosted the first annual bob riccio tour de pitman bike race. The bike race was 50 miles long and followed a loop around Pitman involving two climbs, Lambs Rd and Cedar Ave., and one downhill, Laurel Ave.

A member of the Pabst Blue Ribbon Talksoft Racing team takes off during the start of the Bob Riccio Memorial Tour de Pitman Saturday June 12 2010

The start and finish of the Race took place at the Broadway Theater in downtown Pitman. The start was a mass start where everyone starts together. In track starts like this usually involves elbowing and some fighting, unfortunately for me none of this happened during the start of this race.

The course consisted of two uphill climbs and one downhill. According to my friend Charles who races this course was not that strenuous and should provide some fast times. During the beginning the cyclists were averaging seven minute laps so you as long as you were not going far you did not have to sprint to go from spot to spot. After the start I walked backwards through the course to go to the final turn from Laurel Ave. to Broadway.

Racers coming off the Laurel Ave. hill run onto Broadway during the 1st annual Bob Riccio Memorial Tour de Pitman Saturday June 12 2010

The final turn of the course, from Laurel ave. to Broadway was the most likely spot to me for a crash to occur. On Laurel racers could reach speeds of up to 40 mph and making the turn onto Broadway would be the most difficult of the course. Despite no one crashing here, though I heard two racers hit pedals here but I missed it when I was on another part of the course, this spot still made some good images. The tight turn for good leaning pictures of the racers making the turn.

After shooting at the final turn for a few laps, I continued walking i the course in reverse and shot the next lap from the middle of the Laurel ave. hill. To make the photo below I used my 300mm shot wide open at 2.8 to blur the background as much as possible. To make the foreground be so out of focus I laid on the sidewalk and shot uphill parallel to the hill.

Racers start their decent down Laurel Ave. during the 1st annual Bob Riccio Memorial Tour de Pitman June 12 2010.

After shooting the downhill I countinued to walk the course in reverse and made my way to the next turn. This turn the racers take very tight and almost clip the curb on the apex of their turn. To get a good image of the turn I used my other camera with a wide angle on it and positioned myself right on the corner to where the racers would fly by me.

Racers make the turn from Cedar Ave. onto Laurel Ave. during the 1st Annual Bob Riccio Memorial Tour de Pitman Saturday June 12 2010

I countinued walking the course in reverse and made my way over to the Cedar ave. hill. This hill was the second hill that the racers had to climb. I was hoping to get some strenous faces as the racers made it up the hill. I was lucky and got a good image of a racing sticking his tounge out as he neared the top of the hill.

A Racer makes a face as he climbs the Cedar ave. hill.

After I shot some of the hill climb I relized it was nearing the end of the race so I made my way over to the finish line so I could get the winner as he crossed the line.

Winner of the 2010 Bob Riccio Memorial Tour de Pitman J Gabriel Lloyd points to his sponser's logo, MetLife, as he crosses the finish line in front of the Broadway Theater in Pitman NJ Saturday June 12 2010