Fwd: 2 dates, 2 different area bike ride events need volunteer photo svcs - August 16 + September 14

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Elisif Brandon

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Jul 16, 2025, 5:00:14 PMJul 16
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Courtesy post for friend-of-the-club - several rides coming up needing photographers.  See below.
Thanks!

Elisif Brandon
Architectural Photographer
(alternative email: eli...@gmail.com)
857-891-5054 (cell)
Website:  www.elisif.com

Official Photographer for NAIOP: Commercial Real Estate Development
Check out my photo feed on Instagram (@elisifphotography)

Advisory Board Member, The Cat Connection cat rescue non-profit in Waltham




---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Allegra Boverman <aboverm...@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Jul 3, 2025 at 7:49 AM
Subject: 2 dates, 2 different area bike ride events need volunteer photo svcs - August 16 + September 14
To: <Eli...@elisif.com>, Marshall Goff <mpg...@gmail.com>


Hi!
Could you share this with Newton CC members and friends?
Thank you so much!
Allegra
-------------------------------------

I wanted to know if I can get two of you (I have 2 people confirmed, would love two more if possible) to help out with some documentary and sports photography during a Century ride planned by the North Shore Cycling Team for August 16 in the Newburyport and its associated towns area, up over into southern NH, back down again, and through a variety of towns in the Haverhill/Groveland/Georgetown areas. It starts and ends at Triton High School in Byfield, Mass. If you are interested please let me know by the end of the July 4 holiday weekend so I can have the organizer reach out to you with more info/details/time frames/shooting spots/etc. I am not part of this ride, group or event, just helping find photographers.

People who are riding this Century Ride  and organizing this are also part of some of the Emmaus, Inc. Cycle for Shelter teams (mentioned in the next event below). You'll likely see some familiar faces, If you've helped me with covering the Cycle for Shelter before.

In some cases, you can likely pick a couple of spots, plant yourself there and get photos of the riders as they go by.

Here’s the description for  Saturday, August 16th event: https://www.nscyc.org/blazing-saddles-century-2025. The ride starts and ends at the Triton Regional High School in Byfield MA. It’s not a mass start; riders leave between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. after they check in. 

There are typically 300+ riders, supported by 50+ volunteers from the club to staff the start, food service at the end, and 4 well-stocked rest stops along the way. The rest stop locations are in the Memorial School in Newton NH (100 mile route only), Maudslay State Park in Newburyport MA (all routes; good photo op), Newbury Elementary School (all routes), and the Essex County Greenbelt Vineyard Hill Reservation in Hamilton (100, 80, and 62 mile routes). 

The ride proceeds clockwise from Byfield, along mostly rural roads through Georgetown, West Newbury, Rocks Village, Eastern Haverhill, Plaistow and Newton NH, Merrimac and the Merimack River valley, Amesbury, Newburyport, Newbury, Rowley, Ipswich, Hamilton, Boxford, Topsfield and back to Byfield.

Here’s link to the full 100 mile Blazing Saddles route with rest stops indicated. The organizers have ideas for good places to take photos from and timing. Most riders finish back at Triton in-between noon and 3:30 pm, and the party afterwards is also a great location for photos of happy cyclists. It’s a fun, friendly, and high energy day!

If you can help, I will connect you with the organizers to plan and get more details. One drives a support vehicle and I think that could be fun to shoot from.

--------------------------------------------


If some members might like to help me with a series of bike rides (it's NOT a race) that are in a similar area (but not all of it, especially not all the way into the North Shore) on Sunday, Sept. 14. I'd love to have some of you try it out to photograph an active event with lots of moving parts, faces, activities and locations (many scenic!). I don't mind if you help for an hour or two or all day. It's generally from about 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. with staggered ride starts first thing in the a.m., but I would never want you to do it all day, but there is a lovely and delicious cookout starting at noon (starts and ends at Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill). 

There are usually four different rides of various lengths - 100, 62, 40 and a shorter ride meant for families, several rest stops (sometimes themed and/or with special treats at each one) scattered from Amesbury to North Beach in Hampton, to Kensington N.H. to Boxford and Georgetown (not in that order) and maybe a couple more I'm forgetting, It does touch on quite a few of the towns that the Century Ride does. I will have more new information soon but it can be an interesting and fun day!

The amount of riders varies from year to year. I believe there were between 150-200 last year. Some years there are more, sometimes less. Raises money for Emmaus, Inc. which is an amazing homeless shelter organization in Haverhill, Mass., which buys properties in Haverhill and rehabs them, helps people get into their own homes, provides lots of support for people of all ages, has great programs for kids, a food pantry, and even career coaching for moms, I'm sure I am missing a ton of their offerings but they're very good people doing amazing work for people in the Merrimack Valley.

We help them document this sprawling set of rides and riders (I have helped since 2014 or before) and they use the photos throughout the year for many different things, plus riders may like them for their fundraising pages.

Emmaus, Inc. info:
Cycle for Shelter info:


Please let me know at your earliest convenience about either or both rides so both groups can start planning and I connect you with the right folks.

Thank you!
Warmly,
Allegra
--
Allegra Boverman,
Photojournalist
Winner, Best of the Best 2023 Photographer, 
Greater Merrimack-Souhegan Valley Chamber of Commerce
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