Analogue Culture: Cycling and Film Photography Around the World

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Photography allows us to capture images beyond our eyes' limits, while cycling enables us to traverse vast distances with the power of our bodies. These tools have creatively extended our capacity to reach destinations we never thought possible. With these ideas in our minds, we explore the merging of these two cultures and take a look at cycling through the lens of Lomographers from around the world.

France

Credits: anaislcpg

In France, we encounter Lomographer @anaislcpg who is an avid trail runner and cyclist. She shares with us her story about joining the 24-hour Cycling Le Mans race with her family where her brother signed up her family on a whim. She shot the experience using the Lomo LC-A and LomoChrome Purple film and we can see the whole 24 hours unfold through her album.

I'm more into trail running so cycling is more once every two weeks for now but I'm willing to do it more often and go for several days to discover new places. I don't shoot yet while I bike but it's definitely something I want to try on my next trips. I began cycling because of the 24 hours of Le Mans by bike relay that happened at the end of August, from Saturday 3 pm to Sunday 3 pm. The goal was to use the moto track and make as many laps as possible. At the end of June, my big brother signed up our family, my mom, my dad (my parents are physical education teachers so they are quite into sports), him, and me.
At the time I had no bike, I was 'only' preparing for a marathon. So the week after I bought a bike and we all trained on our side to prepare it. We met at Le Mans at the end of August for the race. They were pro-level teams so our own goal was only to do what we love (sport) the four of us together. We did each of us 2 hours x 3 times, to complete the 24 hours of the race. With my brother we did the night shift, it was amazing to be on this circuit by night. We manage to sleep a bit between our shifts, encourage one another and enjoy this moment. I'll love those photos for everything they remind me of this moment.

Russia

Credits: molochko

A mix of urban cycling and BMX can be seen in the biking culture of Russia. Lomographer @molochko shot these photos with his Pentax MV1 and talked about cycling in his country.

I started riding from the age of four until the age of sixteen, constantly breaking my knees when I would fall off the bike. Despite this, I would still ride my bike because you control it with your mind and body which you can't do in motor technology. I live in Moscow and we have a very developed cycling community in the summer. Both city bikes and road/gravel bikes but mostly the cold winter spoils everything. I used to ride a lot, but now I don't. We have many large parks, such as Elk Island. In Russia, it is most convenient to ride a gravel or mountain bike. Riding in Russia is hazardous because other countries' culture has been developing for many years. On the roads, drivers sometimes do not notice cyclists or they would just consider themselves simply stronger because the car is big and metal. But in recent years, thanks to fines and many government actions, people are changing. For example, I was hit by a car twice and it was not my fault. But fortunately, after such accidents, they bought me new parts and bicycles.

Philippines

Credits: lengthoftheeye

The Philippines is a mainly motorized country with cars, jeepneys, buses, and ride-hailing apps as the main modes of transportation. During the pandemic lockdowns, however, almost all public transportation stopped which led to the popularity of biking as a mode of transportation with the roads empty. Now that things have come back to a sense of normalcy Lomograher @lengthoftheeye shares insights on the current state of biking in the Philippines and a recent group ride he joined with some veteran bikers.

Biking in the Philippines has got to be one crazy mixed bag. While the active infrastructure is merely suggestive and barely protective, cycling has become one of the best ways for most people living in metro manila to get around, with more bicycle owners than car owners as stated in a recent government survey. The culture around cycling here is subtle but strong. Races such as the Tour De Filipinas— more known as its former name, the Marlboro Tour, have been held around the country as early as 1955 and have been a fondly remembered competition among senior bikers. Races still continue to be held around the country, with the latest being the Trek UCI Gravel World Series held in Pampanga a few months ago.
Lately, the advent of recreational cycling and commuting by bike has encouraged people to express themselves through their builds. Vintage bikes have gotten a decent following here lately due to their accessibility, affordability (depending where you get it), and character, which prompted me to get one myself and resto-mod it to better handle the roads of Metro Manila. Shooting while biking for me is hard because I use a rangefinder but I have yet to try shooting one-handed on one of the point and shoots that I borrow from friends. Biking makes taking photos much easier though, as I wouldn’t have to park or block car traffic to take a shot along the road.
Basically, I wanted to explore what other ways we could celebrate our independence and I think the freedom, joy, and supposed convenience of riding a bike is one most people rarely get to experience and enjoy due to our cities’ hostile car-centric infrastructure. I joined and met up with a local cycling group whose niche was vintage bikes from before the 1990s. I was evidently the youngest one there as nearly everyone else was in their 40s and up. It was easy to make friends with them though, and we went around Manila Bay, SM Mall of Asia, and Binondo. While the generation gap was hard to close, our passion for vintage bicycles eventually brought us together and I had a lot of fun meeting and riding with new people.

Argentina

Credits: lailasdf

@lailasdf is a cyclist based in Buenos Aires. She often uses her bike to go around the city and for her to bond with her friends. She's part of the fixed gear community which is a bike that relies on the cyclist's power since there's only a single gear. These bikes are great for training, exercise, and for urban environments. @lailasdf talks about cycling and the fixie community in her city.

The bike is my main mode of transportation. I recently bought a car, but I use it only for longer distances. Biking is for shorter rides and I like to ride for fun, training, and riding with friends!
I own a fixed-gear aluminum bike! I upgraded from steel to aluminum two weeks ago and it is much lighter and much more comfortable which allows me to do rides that go for 30km (18 miles) much easier.
I am part of the fixed gear community, though I don't go very often to their rides because I live kinda far from Capital Federal where most of them are based. I always go when there's an ''alley cats'' an informal kind of race that takes place in the cities, mostly organized by bike messengers. It's a fun way to get to know the city.
Alleycat races are wild! Most of the racers ride fixies, some of them are bike messengers so they know the city really well, the winners are often the ones who don't look at the red lights, also, there are more guys than girls, last time was 40 guys and 8 girls. The prizes are mostly given by the bicycle shops it's all really self-managed.
Biking in Argentina is weird because you have a lot of "bike-friendly'' places like coffee shops, restaurants, and bars, but the city is not designed for bikers. There are bike lanes but they are poorly planned. These bike lanes are narrow and when turning it's hard to get to the other side because we are competing with cars, which makes turning dangerous. Most bike riders prefer to ride in avenues because there's more room and it's possible to go faster.
I have never taken photos while on a bike, I'm kind of scared to do it but I like to take my camera every time I ride with friends, or bike to the river to take photos.

Thailand

Credits: modern_nmt

In Thailand, @modern_nmt immortalizes each ride he has with his bike as he travels many kilometers on his trusty Chevrolet R8.

I ride a city bike, a Chevrolet R8 where I use my bike for cycling in my spare time and taking pictures wherever I go. Cycling is still dangerous in my country because there are very few roads for bicycles. Therefore, there are not many people who ride the vehicle. Serious riders go to cycling festivals for cycling. I once rode a bicycle on a trip with a friend, a distance of 100km (62 miles). The road to the countryside makes it easy to ride without worrying about death. I went with three friends to pay homage to the monks. It took almost a whole day to travel to one temple. It was hot but fun.

Burkina Faso

Credits: vicuna & doubleswithvicuna

OG Lomographer @vicuna is very well traveled and has captured everything from captivating landscapes to intimate portraits. His photos here show his travels to Burkina Faso and some people he encountered on the road getting from one place to another on bikes. In one of his articles about his travels in Burkina Faso he says that "It’s the movement, the speed, and a bit like the heartbeat of local life. People are always on the move, the tracks are never empty, and you meet a lot of people by bike, motorbike, or walking along the path."

Credits: wil6ka

One of the biggest bike races in the world called Tour Du Faso has been held in the country since 1987. Stretching over a thousand kilometers in 10 days, cyclists get to traverse the wide open roads of the country switching between paved and dirt roads. Another longtime Lomographer @wil6ka was able to capture scenes from the 2014 edition of the Tour Du Faso


We thank all the Lomographers for sharing their photos with us. Have any cycling stories? Comment down below or feel free to message me @rocket_fries0036

written by rocket_fries0036 on 2022-10-06 #culture #places #night #rides #philippines #sun #bike #burkina-faso #cycling #community #thailand #france #fixie #paths

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