General | RandoTips

Panda Portraits – You, Your Bike and Your Camera

If you ride a bike much you’ve probably taken a picture like this. Raw, on the go, just you, just for fun.

Well, sometimes you just wander into things that you don’t know and don’t expect.

For some reason I was on Flickr and I wondered into a picture in the same style as the one above, either captioned or titled as “Panda”. Now to set the obvious aside, there were no big black and white animals in the shot.

So, dutifully following the rabbit trail of digital knowledge I discovered the Panda Portrait Flickr group.

As it turns out, the panda portrait is a very specific kind of cycling photo.

It’s a photo taken of yourself, by yourself, on your bike, while moving. The only exception to these rules is shooting the aftermath if you crash while doing it.

Here are a few tips (from a non-photographer who uses his cellphone to take pictures most of the time):

Set the camera to take the picture faster (set the ISO to 400 or higher, higher is faster, compensates for wobbly arms)
Try a few first to get an idea of where to aim (or just forget it and see what happens, just as fun)
If you really want a decent shot, check the image after taking (take again if your head is half cut off etc.)
Watch the road! Quieter roads without too many cars are better. You’ve been warned!
Capture yourself, bike and… something else. Getting a friend in the shot, or something interesting in the background adds a little something to the basic panda.

In the end, just have fun. Be aware that although you probably won’t get fined for using a cellphone on your bicycle, that you still need to pay attention to the road and where you’re going.

Here are some interesting ones for your viewing pleasure. Big, happy smiles were my main criteria when picking. (Photos that are not mine are linked to their pages on Flickr)

The Secret to Waking Up Early

My secret weapon was constructed in undisclosed factory deep in the Chinese territory. My informants tell me that Winnie spent over six months perfecting the swinging action and learning to lip sync to the entire song. These are the final results.

The Challenge

I enjoy riding.

I’ve always enjoyed riding a lot. Being out alone with my thoughts, with the challenges of the ride, the scenery and the people I pass. It all adds together for the most satisfying sport I’ve ever done; that I’ll ever do.

Long distance riding lets me take in the scenery and landscapes, moving from my neighborhood, out through the city and into the more rural areas until there are no houses or people left.

This is where I have peace.

Being out in the quiet darkness of the early morning on the road with absolutely no traffic, the bright, orange sun rising over the horizon, just my legs turning over in that rhythmic, rolling pattern.

Heaven.

And I mostly get that, and the variations and contrast of different scenery, when I ride a long way. But I’ve never taken that on as a challenge directly.

Until now.

Brevets

There is a race known as a brevet, which is 1200km long, and based on a ride that originally went from Paris-Brest-Paris. It’s easier now with better roads, but the concept lives on. Ride a damn long way as quick as possible.

This is not a tour. The difference is that overall speed does factor in here, and although the going is relatively slow compared to most road racing, the slower speed is mostly because of the huge endurance needed to simply complete the race. No 100km for the day then take a break; rests are likely and still on the clock.

The Challenge

Ride around Taiwan in under 72 hours. The distance is about 1200km, so with two 6 hour sleeps, that’s 60 hours of pure riding at 20km/h average to make it under that time.

I’ll have to sacrifice sleep, massive amounts of time and energy, change my eating habits and daily habits to make it. The training will start first, and will be part of the platform for testing foods, diet and other training.

The training will culminate with 600km training rides and finally the 1200km round country ride.

A New Focus

Compared to previous long rides. I know I can’t do this at the moment. I have only tackled up to 200km in a single day before, but I knew I could make it. This time I have to train myself to make it, and I’ve had no single, major target before.

I won’t be able to do this alone. Although I’m riding on my own, the motivation and help from others will make this more likely to succeed.

This blog is a platform for recording and tracking all of those efforts.

Make sure to check the sidebars for updates from all my other places online.