The Baw Baw Classic was on today.  it is a cycling race, where the cyclist race from Warragul to the top of Mt Baw Baw.  It is around 100kms and the final climb is said to be one of the toughest in the world.  It breaks a lot of people and there is a real sense of achievement if you make it to the top.  The image above is the view from the top.

I did this race last year and I decided that if I was going to do it again I would only do it on a motorbike.  I organised with my friend Bruce, and we left my place at 8.30 this morning.  I spent many hours on the back of the bike, and can I just add, my bum is very sore from it.  While we were hooning around on it, I decided that I would see if I could get some non cycling images to show you from today.  All the following images were taken from the motorbike.  Some are very strange, others not.  There aren’t that many.  The only one that wasn’t taken from the bike is the above one.

Photos of the race are on my website leannecole.com.au

For most of the trip, the scene in the image above is pretty much what we looking at.  It was so beautiful.  It was also very green and lush.  It looked like it was diary farm country.

When you start the climb, you go into rain forest territory and you see these ferns every where.  I don’t know what they are called, but they are so beautiful.  They are like umbrellas everywhere.

Here are a lot more, but if you look closely you can see that the foreground is very blurred.  You can also see the road through it as well.  We were about to turn a bend and end up there.

I was trying to photograph the snow that was on the ground, but I had the camera set up wrong and this is what I ended up with.  I really liked it, I like the way it sort of gives you a bit of head rush or makes your eyes go weird.

It has been an interesting day.  I haven’t been through the cycling photos yet, and I may put some on here in a day or two if any stand out.  I think the cyclists get a kick out of having a motorbike come up beside them and then take their photos.  It is a great way to photograph a road race, really the only way to do it.  I love doing it on the bike, though, road racing is my favourite.