2012 Mass Ave Crit, Part I

Last Saturday's fifth annual Mass Ave Criterium cycling competition in downtown Indianapolis reminded me that as much as I enjoy this sport -- and photographing it -- the daylong toil behind the lens can be a grind in hot weather unless you have a handy, secure place to stash and access your gear.

I didn't have that Saturday, largely because nobody asked me to shoot it, so I had nobody to ask to help me out with that little detail. I shot this all on my own -- for the love of the sport, as they say -- and even had to fend for my own parking in the downtown area, which as Indy folks know requires a fee whether you park on the street or in a garage. And if parking is not readily handy to the course site, a photographer does not want to drag a lot of equipment around with him. And I like to be mobile when I shoot a cycling race; you want variety in your shots.

So again, like I did for last month's Indy Crit, I went with one camera and one very versatile lens, the Tamron 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD. I stuck with that combination until about halfway through the Women's Category 1-2-3 competition, when I saw the sunlight getting dramatic. So I trudged over to the car and swapped the Tamron with my faster Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS lens, which also is much heavier. After a long day on foot and in the sun, that Canon lens felt like an instant albatross. I lasted the rest of the women's race and about half of the subsequent Men's Category 3 race before calling it a day. There were only three races after that -- the Police and Fire competition, fixed gear race and the premier event on the bill, the Men's Category 1-2-3.

I would have liked to have stayed for those, but ... I had nothing left. Saturday was different from the Indy Crit because Mass Ave Crit races started at 11:30 a.m. -- nearly the middle (and hot) part of the day, which means I was in hot weather from the get go. Whereas the Indy Crit started early -- 8:30 a.m. -- so I had a good three hours of soft (cool) transition time, plus the sun wasn't out the whole day like it was for the Mass Ave Crit.

So for those of you who visited my SmugMug gallery of shots from Saturday's Mass Ave Crit, the Men's 3 is the last event I shot, and I wasn't around for the podium ceremony. Sorry about that.

That being said, I will add that there seemed to be a lot more people -- spectators -- this year, and I think that's wonderful for cycling and for the Mass Ave Crit in particular. I also hope it bodes well for the Indy Crit, which continues to grow each year and can't help but benefit from positive experiences at this partner competition. The next post will be devoted to the non-racing folks at this year's Mass Ave Crit. There were a couple interesting photos in that collection, so come back to check it out.

Above and next two below: Action from the Men's Category 5 competition.

Above and next three below: The first picture (above) is the first I grabbed when I became aware of this crash at Turn 3 (corner of East-North-Mass Ave). It was the second of the Men's Category 4 race at that corner. This rider suffered a separated shoulder, the other one a broken collarbone.

Above and below: Kids (ages 3-9) enjoyed their short time in the limelight, including the youngster below experiencing the joy of crossing the white finish line. 

Above: Two of the riders in the simultaneous-run Juniors 10-14 and 15-18 competition.

Above: Anthony Pratt had no opponent in sight when he crossed the finish line to win the Juniors Ages 15-18 competition. 

Above: Action from the Women's Category 4 competition.

Above: Kate McDougal of Carmel, Ind., eased across the finish line to claim the Women's Category 4 title. 

Above and next two below: Bryan Boggs (foreground) played cat and mouse with the other cyclist in the middle portion of the Age 40+ and 50+ competition, including the shots immediately above and below, when the two were way out in front of the rest of the riders. Boggs fell back to the peloton to shake the rider, bided his time, then broke away again near the end of the race and won easily. He was one of several winners who crossed the finish line Saturday with huge leads. 

Above: Rebecca Zink, one of the Women's Category 1-2-3 pre-race favorites, finished 12th. 

Above and next two below: Action from the Women's Category 1-2-3 competition. 

Above: Sierra Siebenlist, nearing the finish of the Women's 1-2-3 competition, was another winner who had significant separation when crossing the white line. You can see the rest of the pack in the distance. 

Above and next three below: Action from the Men's Category 3 competition.

Above: John Schmitz of Bargersville, Ind., competed in two races Saturday. He finished 41st in the Men's Category 3, the race pictured above, and sixth in the Men's 50+. 

An Indianapolis cultural icon: Madame C.J. Walker Theatre

If the city of Indianapolis were ever to hold a community-wide arts and culture festival, one of the facilities that should serve as an anchor venue is the Madame C.J. Walker Theatre, an institution on Indiana Avenue, one of the city's six designated cultural districts.

The theater, located about a mile northwest of Monument Circle, which is considered the heart of downtown, opened in 1927 and quickly became known as "the Jewel of the Avenue," which for a long time was where the African American community turned to develop business and cultivate its musical talent. It's where jazz greats Freddie Hubbard, Wes Montgomery, Jimmy Cole and Noble Sissle planted their roots. It was named for Walker, commonly regarded as the first African American millionaire. She made her fortune with a successful line of beauty and hair products for African American women.

The Avenue -- and theater -- suffered from blight when its businesses and residents moved outward in the 1960s, '70s and early '80s. Many of the buildings were leveled. By 1988, the theater -- one of the few that survived the wrecking ball even though it had been abandoned and closed during those hard times -- was restored and reopened, putting emphasis on the performing arts. The city has only recently dedicated efforts to regenerate the area, giving hope that it can come alive like its days in the early years of the 20th century. A museum has opened in the building, and African American children take advantage of various programs throughout the year, including summer daytime performing arts classes.

I visited the theater -- easily the corner stone of the Indiana Avenue cultural district -- early last month. The theater's staff welcomed my request to do a photo shoot, and the pictures you see here are from that visit. A full gallery of images from the shoot can be found at my site at SmugMug.

Above: You can see my reflection, while taking this photo, in the door windows in this shot of the ticket booth outside the theater's main entrance.

Above: A look southeast toward the downtown Indianapolis skyscrapers.

Above and next two below: Decorative trimming on the theater's facade.

Above and below: The theater's board room.

Above: Children attend arts classes in the 4,800-square-foot banquet hall and ballroom during summer months. Before all classes, parents of the students sign consent forms that allow the children to be photographed.  

Above: Doors to the banquet hall and ballroom.

Above: The kitchen that serves the banquet hall.

Above and next eight below: Scenes from the theater, beginning with the lobby (above and first three below), followed by shots from the balcony and balcony seating a detail shot of artwork on the stage, one of the restrooms and a floor level shot.

Above: The lobby to the main entrance.

 Above: The first of several images from the Walker Museum. 

Above: Across the street from the theater is this landscaping for Sigma Theta Tau International, the honor society for nursing.