I spent two days at the Little Molas Lake Trailhead attempting to capture portraits of as many riders from this year’s Colorado Trail Race as possible. I was able to capture portraits of 67 of 69 riders. The faces I saw spanned a wide range. Some were happy, tired, anguished, questioning, humbled, excited, anxious, hopefully, and one bloodied.
Most riders were humbled by the elevation and the shear amount of hike-a-bike they encountered in the first 71 miles of Sections 28-25, to get to where I was photographing. Most were happy to have a quick chat before moving on. Many times I was told about the conditions, how hard or tired they were, and the other common one was just how beautiful the scenery was.
Before I show you the faces of the riders that I captured I want to point out that spectating is not encouraged in bikepack racing. My goal was simply to capture the race through a camera. The only support given was a smile, handshake and telling them they were doing a good job. Please “Dot Watch” from the comfort of your home. You didn’t want to be out there anyways as the mosquitoes and deer flies were terrible!
Enjoy these portraits and following the rest of the race while online.
