Earlier this month, I completed another Hilly Hundred Weekend. And in the week afterward, I posted almost 500 photos I took of participants during registration and on the ride. This was done as a volunteer for the Hilly, and the host club, the Central Indiana Bicycling Association. But most of all, it was for the simple joy it.
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| Packet Pickup is a popular Photo Op! |
As long as I have been riding, photography has been a part of it. When I started riding, I had a Kodak Instamatic stuffed in pocket, handlebar or seat bag. The summer before my first multi-day tour, I purchased a new bike and a new 35mm SLR camera. From that trip on, a handlebar bag with a camera was on my bike for almost any ride that was not for speed or a workout. I gave up film for digital camera's in the early 2000's. And now that I ride with an iPhone, I have a camera on every ride, and if something comes up that is "Kodak Moment" (photo worthy) it may even interrupt a workout ride.
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| Food Stop Donut Smiles! |
When I rode my first Hilly Hundred in 1981, naturally, my Canon AE-1 came along. I got a laugh from a couple of friends on a tandem who wanted for a picture at the top of one of the crazy steep hills, and I preceded to sprint up the hill to dismount and snap a couple of shots of them climbing. A few weeks later I had prints made from the slide and sent to them in Alabama. I probably still have those slides, among a few thousand others I plan to scan someday. And they are sure to include pictures from a half dozen other Hilly’s I rode in the `80’s.
During that same period, one of the unique offerings of the Hilly was the Saturday night showing of a slide show from that days ride. The show was presented in the host schools auditorium, on 3 screens, and ran about 7-10 minutes. The slide show was a big part of the evenings entertainment, with hundreds of riders filling the auditorium, hoping to catch themselves on the big screens.
In the pre-digital age, the show required 6 slide projectors, each loaded with 120 35mm slides. There was a special control box connected to the projectors for advancing the slides and alternating the image displayed by the paired projectors. To be sure you had the over 700 usable slides, a handful of volunteers photographer went out to shoot 30 to 40 rolls of 36-exposure rolls of slide film. The film that was used could be processed in Bloomington in about an hour. Then the finished slides had to be sorted and loaded into the round carousels for each projector, and taken back to the auditorium for the first show at 6:30pm.
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| It's called the Hilly for a reason! |
In 1988, I volunteered to be a photographer for the show, and I would be taking pictures along the Hilly route. I was given 7 rolls of film (252 slides), and instruction to be back to the ride start by 1 pm. The time limit meant I would be in my car and not riding. What a day that was! Shooting that much film that fast was a challenge. Back before digital, you had days of waiting for pictures, and you had to pay for developing the roll. So you were normally taking your time carefully staging your shots and making sure you used the right camera settings. On my trips I felt good to use a roll of film a day, unless I was at a special location.
Hitting the road at 9 AM, I was driving along the route and pulling over when I found a good spot, and taking a dozen or so pictures before moving along. By about 11:30 I had only shot 4 rolls! About that time I encountered a rider needing a sag due to a broken chain; I decided to load his bike on my car, and had him drive along the route stopping at different spots for me to jump out, or sometime shooting while sitting on an open car window. With his help, I managed to finish the last 3 rolls and get back with 15 minutes to spare. I am not sure how many of my slides made the final cut, but it was fun to be a part of the effort.
Due to technical issues and costs, the slide show was dropped a few years later. Fast forward to 2006, and working with some friends and the Hilly organizers, we were able to bring back a digital based version of the show, which ran for another 10 years. But some other changes came along that changed everything.
With the advent of the smart phone, now almost everyone rides with a camera. When everybody has a selfie, the interest in the slide show began to wane. And with the advent of social media, pictures were visible almost immediately and to anyone, anywhere. Interest in the slide show, and the post ride entertainment declined as well; I believe the last slide show was 2018.
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| The new Start/Finish arch was a big hit! |
But with the end of one tradition, new ones began. Along with the digital slide show, Hilly volunteers, including myself (along with photography, I have volunteered for marketing and registration related activities), began posting photos on Facebook and other photo sharing during the ride. For the 50th Hilly, we took pictures of riders holding a sign board showing the year of their first Hilly. The following year, we added a backdrop banner and caption signs, for both riders preparing to ride and at the end of the ride. For 2023, a new finish line arch was added, which allowed it be positioned over the start/finish for riding through. The full site for all 2023 Hilly Hundred Weekend photos is at this link.
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| Just one of the smiles from the 50th (2017) Hilly! |
And while selfies on the Hilly are still a thing, more often than not, after I take a picture a rider or a group, I usually get handed a phone (or 3!) to take another picture for them. And I also take lots of pictures of riders climbing or just riding by along the route, something most people can’t or don’t try while climbing a 7% grade.
I can’t say I meet every Hilly Hundred rider, yet each photo is a unique opportunity to share a few moments with another bicycle enthusiast. And it’s not every day you get 500 chances to do that. Combined with the scenery and challenges of riding the Hilly, it makes for a very rewarding weekend of memories, even after my 25(?) Hilly's over the past 42 years.
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| The guy behind the lens! |
