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When photographing a bike race, my interest and focus has never been the finish line scenes but the journey the riders go through to get there. Cycling is something I’ve watched for the past three years and in many ways, it’s still new to me. I love to ride, but not to race. I lack a critical skill which all racers must have: the ability to endure pain while in a competitive state.

I’m part of an incredible cycling community in the state of New Mexico, which spreads into the western region of the United States. I travel to races with my husband to support his passion for the sport and to photograph the story in and around the race. Cycling, no matter the category, is one of my favorite and most challenging scenes to capture. If you do see me riding my bike on a local race course, I’m usually riding it backwards, to take pictures.

If not from my bike, you’ll see me zipping around the groups in a little silver car, thanks to the much appreciated help of the race marshals! That said, the 2013 Tour of the Gila has reminded me, once again, that the next progression in my photography must include a motorcycle!

For those of you who did not get to be at the 2013 Tour of the Gila in Silver City, New Mexico, I hope you enjoy the photos and the story they tell.

Elite Men General Classification

1 Philip Deignan (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team) 12:57:32
2 Phillip Gaimon (Bissell Pro Cycling) 0:00:28
3 Francisco Mancebo Perez (5 Hour Energy p/b Kenda) 0:00:37
4 Matt Cooke (Champion System p/b Stan’s NoTubes) 0:02:30
5 Janier Alexis Acevedo Colle (Jamis-Hagens Berman) 0:03:25
6 Gavin Mannion (Bontrager Cycling Team) 0:04:19
7 Lucas Euser (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team) 0:05:05
8 Carter Jones (Bissell Pro Cycling) 0:05:21
9 Tom Zirbel (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) 0:05:38
10 Nathan Wilson (Bontrager Cycling Team) 0:06:06

Elite Women General Classification

1 Mara Abbott (Exergy TWENTY16) 11:44:29
2 Alison Powers (NOW and Novartis for MS) 0:01:32
3 Janel Holcomb (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) 0:02:42
4 Claudia Häusler (Team TIBCO) 0:03:03
5 Kristin McGrath (Exergy TWENTY16) 0:04:34
6 Andrea Dvorak (Exergy TWENTY16) 0:06:38
7 Jade Wilcoxson (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) 0:08:01
8 Rushlee Buchanan (Team TIBCO) 0:08:27
9 Lex Albrecht (NOW and Novartis for MS) 0:09:06
10 Kathryn Donovan (NOW and Novartis for MS)

You can read Velonews’ coverage of the 2013 Tour of Gila here.