U.S. UCI C1 cyclocross racing kicked off at Rochester Cyclocross last weekend. Both Maghalie Rochette and Stephen Hyde started their seasons on a high note heading into the U.S. World Cups with wins on Saturday and Sunday.
One of the Upstate New Yorkers at the race was Evan Grucela of Orchard Park, which is located near Buffale. Grucela is a senior in high school who serves as the unofficial photographer for the Western New York cyclocross scene.
Grucela started racing cyclocross when he was in fourth grade. He picked up photography in 2016 when an injury sidelined him during ’cross season. “In both the fall of 2016 and 2017 I was injured and unable to race cyclocross, but I still wanted to be involved, so I started taking pictures at all the races,” Grucela said. “Everybody seemed to enjoy my work, and I really enjoy being a part of the cyclocross community.”
With North America’s best riders heading to his neck of the woods at Rochester, Grucela made the drive north with his camera. Some of the best shots he got were in the technical section of the course that included the feature called “Double Trouble.”
Raylyn Nuss leads the way down one of the technical descents while riders pick different ways of handling the feature. 2018 Rochester Cyclocross. © Evan Grucela
Grucela said finding the gnarliest features on the course is part of his goal when shooting a race. “When shooting cyclocross, I look for the most challenging features of the course and I look to shoot those sections from a perspective that most people wouldn’t normally see,” he said about his ’cross photography.
Greg Gunsalus had a cheering section in his first Elite UCI race after graduating from the Juniors. 2018 Rochester Cyclocross. © Evan Grucela
As you can see from Grucela’s Instagram page, he will be busy photographing high school volleyball, soccer and other sports this fall. After graduating from high school next fall, he is hoping to study Engineering in college. With his talented eye and skill behind the lens, we will certainly keep our eyes out for his work from outside the tape in the future.
Grucela provided photos from Saturday’s C1 at Rochester for the gallery below.
For more from Rochester, check out our archives for the 2018 race.
Evan Grucela Photo Gallery: 2018 Rochester Cyclocross C1
Arley Kemmerer and Maghalie Rochette found themselves in a scrum early in Saturday’s race. 2018 Rochester Cyclocross. © Evan Grucela
