Mud, blood, beer and glory. In Portland, there is a unique group of people who craves this combination and you can find them all united, screaming, cheering and heckling every fall weekend out on the cyclocross course.
Dirty Pictures is a collection of poetic photography from the muddy courses that make Portland America’s center for cyclocross. Starting with 50,000 images and laboring to narrow them down to a mere 160, PDXCross has put together a collection that needs few words. But there are some — the foreword is written by Wend Ambassador Heidi Swift which captures the essence of cross. Quotes like “How does it look? I can’t tell. There’s too much blood,” add to the intensity of the narrative in addition to the epic photos that give this book its distinct, gritty character.
Separated into eight sections, there are photos from every aspect of the 2008 cyclocross season: white teeth in the middle of a mud covered face, arms in makeshift slings, a line of competitors with bikes slung over their shoulders as they scramble up a hill and even a twister game played while drinking cans of PBR. And don’t think the book is all about the athletes: cowbell cheering spectators and devoted dogs make their appearance as well. All in all, if you’re a committed cyclocross lover or just need a picture book to shock your less adventurous friends, Dirty Pictures should definitely make its way onto your coffee table.
You can get your hands on a copy of Dirty Pictures by ordering it through Blurb.
[...] excited to share that Dirty Pictures has been reviewed at Wend Magazine and [...]