This past week I once again had the pleasure of taking part in the Road 2 Victory charity bike ride that benefits the Davis Phinney Foundation. Although this time around my 'part' was slightly different as I had a previous personal commitment that I needed to attend. I was fretting about the scheduling conflict until I phoned fellow photographer Ed Graham. He quickly agreed to step up and take the reigns for me this year to capture the behind the lens action. Ed's creativity and easy-going style were a natural match for the event and I knew the ride would get the coverage it needed and deserved. As I suspected, Ed didn't let down. As I've been combing through the photos this week, I truly felt as if I attended the ride this year. He did a stellar job capturing the emotion and importance of the Road 2 Victory. Being a part of such a great event is a true honor. Watching so many fellow cyclists turn out each year is amazing and the event is only getting bigger.

This year was made even more special by several pro cyclists joining the ride. Recent US Pro Championship winner Timmy Duggan, BMC rider Taylor Phinney and Garmin riders Christian Vande Velde and Alex Howes were in attendance! It was great seeing so much support from the pro ranks and also seeing the Phinney family ride together again.

Prints and digital downloads are available for purchase at my website - nicklasurephotography.com. 15% of all sales will be donated to the Davis Phinney foundation!

Post ride refreshments courtesy of Boulder Beer!

Thanks for another great year and don't forget to check Ed's gorgeous work - Ed Graham Photography.

Phew, I finally put the finishing touches on my year long '365' project last week. I started out, like many photographers hoping to get a photo-a-day for all 365 days in 2011, but it just wasn't to be. I believe I made it about 125 days or so until I noticed the quality of the project was suffering a bit. Not to mention 2011 was an exceedingly busy year so the time constraints weren't helping much either. So I switched to a photo-a-week format and was much happier with the pace and outcome of the images. For those wondering, I used a variety of cameras for this project including Nikon D300, Nikon D200, Nikon P7000, Olympus TG-610, Sigma DP1s and the trusty Apple iPhone 4. In the end, it was a rewarding and challenging experience and it certainly served its purpose by pushing me to be creative on a regular basis. I definitely feel my skills and creative eye have both improved from this project.

So here are six of my favorite images from the project. The full set can be found here on Flickr!

#1 - Just too funny to not like! [Sigma DP1s]