A Photographer at the Dave Jordan Central Park Classic
Even though I have been covering professional sport teams and races for years, Saturday was my first Central Park race that I covered this year. Usually, if I’m up at the crack of dawn I’m racing every race I can, but multiple injuries in the beginning of the season made me push my first to the middle of the year. With CRCA Dave Jordan Central Park Classic being an integral part of the Central Park race season, I decided that it was time to come out and get excited about racing again. And let me tell you - it was a lot of fun.
The temperature was perfect. The sunrise was beautiful. There was no way one could not get excited for racing. Racers were lined up at the top of Cat’s Paw. You could feel the race jitters.
As the official motos started their engines I started to get in position. This was one the first shots of the race I took. After this shot I was basically running around like a headless chicken.
TBD had 7 riders racing at Dave Jordan Classic.
SOME ADVICE:
Covering the park race is hard.
Initially, I was excited that I would have many opportunities to catch each group of racers. However, I immediately realized that it was not going to be the case. The packs are fast and the groups get mixed up due to speed differences. It becomes hard to tell one group from another and timing their laps got hard.
The park is huge. It takes time to get from point A to point B. Previous planning is crucial. You need to do your homework and create a shot list before the race.
I decided to cover around the middle of the park first. Then around MET area. Followed by the lower part of the course and used the 72nd transverse. Afterwards I headed up 102nd transverse before I rode my bike to the finish. My timing was off. I was at the finish too early. I could have definitely covered another spot, however I had teammates in the Cat 3/4 race that was going to finish one lap earlier.
We could not have races without marshalls.
The women’s field riding towards the Boathouse.
Winners
The biggest problem during the race was three Secret Service cars along with 5-6 guards escorting a diplomat/politician/someone who decided to go jogging in Central Park at 6:30 am decided to drive on course in the wrong direction right by the race finish. It could have been catastrophic for many riders. (actually, one of our riders crashed when the rider in front saw the cars on course, panicked, and braked untimely.) You can see one the cars in the background driving towards the finish line.
That early morning light.
It was a lot of fun to be on the other side and watch the races in Central Park. However, next time I will probably be RACING. SEE YOU OUT THERE.
If you share images on social media please make sure to tag @dperker
Daghan Perker is a creative director, photographer, and an athlete. You can see more of his work on his instagram handle @dperker He is also a founding member of tobedetermined.cc
