I am very excited about the new site. It’s the biggest online community in Ontario and I have been part of it since its early beginnings.   While the site holds its own on the world wide web, its strength has always been in representing the local scene.   Dropmachine has been at the center of it all here in Ontario for over a decade.  Other sites have come and gone but DM has always endured.  It’s had its ups and downs, which often had me contemplating starting my own site, but I am too loyal.  The community never needed another site, just a better version of this one.  I have met so many good people through this place and, in many respects, its members have watched me grow as a photographer.   To me, the best part about Dropmachine was that we all knew each other and that was too valuable to lose.  I have wanted to take over the site for quite some time but could never make it happen.  It seemed overwhelming to me due to how much needed to be done to make the site into the vision I had for it.   It pretty much needed an overhaul from top to bottom.   Jeff Monk, the original site’s creator, and I worked hard over the past year to finally complete the transfer of the site.  Jeff had invested a ton of time in the original site and I know that handing over the reins wasn’t easy.   I think that, in the end, Jeff knows I will take the site to the next level and that he will always be a welcomed member in the community he had such a big part in creating.   Things have been pretty quite on DM lately but it’s time to wake the giant.

I decided that a complete overhaul of the site was necessary and that we would launch with a new, clean look.  With that new look, came the decision to change the name and re-brand the site to be more inclusive to all cycling disciplines. Riding Feels Good: the name says it all.

One of my biggest goals with the new site is to have people get involved.  I want the members to be part of this place and share what they know.  We are going to cover some big events and step things up in Ontario but I want to build this community back from the ground up.  I’m not in a rush to do anything with the site and my only goal is to create something we will all be proud of.   This site will be about you guys and I will need your help.   I have invested a lot of time and money to resurrect this place and, as hard as that was, it was the easy part.   I will devote as much time to this as possible but I simply can’t do it alone.  I am a full-time staff photographer for a motocross magazine and shoot freelance for all kinds of publications and companies.  I am double and triple booked all summer and just can’t do it all by myself.  This place is yours, both on and off the bike.  Take ownership and get involved.

Part of building a strong online community is realizing that the members you interact with are not avatars, they are people. I know we live in a one-click “like” world but that sucks frankly and I want us to get to know each other a bit better than what it says in our profiles.  I thought I would write a bit about myself and encourage others to do the same.

I have been riding bikes my whole life and it’s part of what defines me as a person. Photography has also recently shared that distinction, but I am a rider first and foremost. My passion for photography stems from my love for bikes. I have made some incredible friends through this sport and see myself being a cyclist as long as my body will allow it.

CIRCA 1976 – Pulling wheelies as a kid.

Most of you know me fairly well but I think many people still know me best for one chapter of my life or another – bikes, movies or photography. I thought I would reintroduce myself to the community and paint a more complete picture about how the photographer most of you know today came to be. “This is me in a nutshell” – Austin Powers.

Ever since I can remember, I have had a bike.  During the winter I would shovel driveways and come spring time I would rush to Canadian Tire to buy a bike.  Bikes only lasted a summer if you were lucky.  My favorite bike was the first dual coil-over, motorcycle replica that weighted about 100lbs.  I’m sure that those of you who had one just had the best flash back ever.   Motorcycle throttle grips and a hockey card in the spokes was tricked out back then.  I started riding mountain bikes in the late 80s. I lived in Whistler at the time and mountain biking was in bloom. I purchased my first mountain bike there and remember being asked “will you be going down Blackcomb with it”. I thought, “are you nuts? heck no”. I had no idea this was even possible or that it would eventually become the mountain bike Mecca it is today. I just wanted to ride some dirt trails I had noticed in town and commute from my place Creekside to the village (it really was a village then). There was no Bike Park or lift access; you had to earn your turns. It didn’t take long to find trails like Cut Your Bars and the now infamous Cheakamus ride. As I discovered new trails, I quickly realized my bike’s limitations. It broke just before I left town – call it a sign. I came to Whistler as a skier but left a mountain biker.

Whistler was also where I caught the photography bug. I saw the local filmmakers and wondered how they did what they do. Deep down, I wanted to be a photographer, but I knew nothing about it and video seemed easier. I wouldn’t act on this new interest for a few years. All my time and money went into my bikes. I did start shooting more with my old film body and got a basic video camera to learn with.

When I came back East, mountain biking was just catching on and I bought my first real mountain bike, a Marin with rigid forks. Suspension would not enter the market for another few years. There were a few other bikes in between but none of them lasted very long. My Marin was the first bike that could handle the Great Canadian Shield in the Gatineau Hills, the terrain I cut my teeth riding on. I had some nice hardtails along the way but my favorite was my Dekerf, production number 274, with Ritchey Logic tubing. I rode it until it was a noodle and rusted from the inside out. I even raced it down Mont-Saint-Anne in the early 90s. It was a great period in mountain biking.

Ontario Cup DH – Pleasure Valley, Ontario.

I started racing bikes in my early 20s and was lucky enough to ride some of the early generation GTs. This was an incredibly exciting time and I was all about the gear. Suspension was in its infancy and, unlike today, a new bike made a huge difference on the hill. If you were racing a guy with Mag 21s and you had the first gen of 4” Zokes, you had a distinct advantage. The first few duallies were popping up under local pros and V-Brakes made it so that we could actually stop our bikes. Products that were changing how and what we rode were being launched everywhere. Companies were spending money and outside sponsors like Volvo and Grundig were involved in racing in a big way. Racing was televised and mountain biking was pretty much mainstream.  Images from the North Shore were popping up and riding’s newest discipline was about to trump everything that came before it.

Missy Giove – Mont-Saint Anne

In 1996 I was lucky enough to work for GT bikes here in Toronto. I was in my element and GT was a brand I absolutely adored. I worked there at a time when the Thermoplastic LTS bikes were in production and was at GT’s headquarters in Santa Ana when the Lobo was launched. My god, I loved that bike. I started to get behind the scenes more and was part of launching GT Canada’s first race team. We had a budget that some World Cup teams probably have to run on now. I was lucky enough to have a few national champs race for me and the Canada Cup scene was alive and well.  The series was even televised on OLN – I have the VHS tapes to prove it!.

At Worlds wrenching on Eric Cseff’s Lobo – he went through 3-4 that weekend so I was busy.

When GT went belly up I went to work for Veltec, the Canadian distributors for Schwinn. I continued along the same path, but quickly realized my real strength was off the bike. I helped with the race team there and became more involved with our sponsors at Toyota. I started to see that in order to attract more dollars to the sport and to give back to our sponsors, we needed to have better imagery. This is when I revisited my interest in photography and video. While with Schwinn I helped produce and organize the Schwinn/Toyota Biker Cross – one of the first of its kind in the world. Dual slalom was still the format used in World Cups. This was a massive race we held just after the race at Mont-Saint-Anne. I went out West to the World Cup at Grouse Mountain and recruited the top teams and racers. The world’s best were there including a very young Greg Minnaar. The race was a huge success and was televised on TSN and RDS. I was asked to do the colour commentary for TSN which further fueled my passion for all things media related.

Conducting a finish line interview with Mike King

In 2000, I started FastTimes Inc Productions. My first aspiration was to make a mountain bike movie. I had no idea what I was doing but wanted to test the waters and produce something that showcased what I rode and loved in Ontario. In 2001, I made Eastern Standard and the sequel, ES2 Fully Loaded, in 2003. These movies where well received and distributed worldwide. They were premiered around the globe and reviewed in mags like Bike and Dirt. They even received a good review by Jeff Monk here on Dropmachine. The Toronto showing was off the hook!  What I took away from the experience was that I really loved working with athletes, being out there, in the elements, surrounded by the energy of riding and capturing it on film. To this day I consider those riders my friends and think back fondly of our time filming together.

Going over the script with Brian Lopes in Laguna, California

I continued to shoot stills along the way and in 2003 bought my first digital camera to photograph the cover of the VHS sleeve for ES2 (yeah, you read right, VHS) . It was a Nikon D1H, a 3mp camera. This new body, and the advent of digital, is what caught my interest and pushed me to the next level. I had invested heavily in a video editing suite and was now immersed in the whole digital workflow, something I never really got into with film. The marriage of art, gear and the sport I loved was what got me hooked for life. I really liked this camera and it’s proof that MP aren’t everything.  I’ve only had 3 bodied since then, a D2X D700 and my current body, the D3.  Here are a few images from my trusty D1H.

Ryan Senechal – Icelands, Mississauga

Jay Hoots – Moab, Utah

Carter Holland – Hidden Valley, California

I continued shooting video and produced numerous videos for companies like Norco and Shimano but always wanted to shoot stills. At the time I found video to be too automated and liked the control still photography offered me. I was making progress, getting published and decided to go back to school to learn all that I could about photography. I was always able to “get” a shot but was sick of fumbling with dials to make it happen. I wanted to arrive at a scene and know how to achieve what I wanted, then execute it.

Now, I shoot every day – honing my craft and defining my style. Photography is a lifelong journey about telling stories though pictures. I don’t feel like I have got the “one” great shot yet but I chase it daily. While I now shoot a variety of subjects for editorial and commercial clients, my niche is still bikes. I have since started shooting more motocross as well. In the end, I am an action sports photographer and love to photograph anything that gets me outside and collaborating with athletes.

Brendan Fairclough – 2010 World Championships – Mont-Saint-Anne, Quebec

Tyler Medaglia – Sand Del Lee, Ontario

Chris Kovarik – 2010 World Championships – Mont-Saint-Anne, Quebec

Sid Slotegraaf – Rexdale, Toronto

Sabrina Chapman – Old Baldy, Ontario

Tiffany Falls, Ontario

Matt Konings – Blue Mountain, Ontario

Telus Triple Challenge – Blue Mountain, Ontario

Wakestock – Collingwood, Ontario

With Riding Feels Good, I hope to rebuild the sense of community that I once felt and that I feel trailside and at the races. I want to bring a face to every name and help some beginners get the exposure they deserve. I have been part of this website for a long time and am happy to be part of its next iteration, to help make it what I always thought it could be. I thank you all for your support and hope you will join me in this new chapter of the site and my photography. I want to capture your passion for bikes, photograph your trails, your shop and share the passion for this sports we all love.

Please feel free to contact me with your ideas and stories. landry@fasttimesinc.com

On the job.

To see more, check out my websites here:

• http://www.marclandryphotography.com
• http://www.fasttimesinc.com/blog/
• http://www.fasttimesinc.com

Stay up to date with my Facebook page and follow me on Twitter.