NW Gent's Race preview

_{PHOTOS: John Watson - Prolly Is Not Probably}  

Once all the teams riding the 2012 Rapha NW Gentlemen's Race had been launched into the early morning fog of Mt. Hood, our job was made very clear to us. Head Commissaire, Gerben Gerritsen, doled out instructions for the day and Chris DiStefano and I were told explicitly: "You two stay behind with this clipboard and guard all the beer." It would be nowhere near the arduous task that faced the riders out on the course, but a thought crossed my mind as Gerben departed in the sweep vehicle: "Finally, a job that the two of us can handle."

Certainly our day held more in store than just guard duty. For when the teams started to stream back in, we were to mark down their respective times and ensure that the "winners" were recognized. But as the minutes turned into hours leading up to the finale, we resorted to passing the time in the only ways we knew how. By starting to drink the previously mentioned beers and by watching Twitter and Instagram for any and all updates surrounding the race. Thankfully, we had one of the best men feeding these social media channels.

You may know him by his cycling/culture/design website Prolly is not Probably but we have simply come to know him as John. John Watson was on hand at this year's race to document it with his own style of photographic goodness. A style that has captured all areas of the bicycle community: road, bmx, cyclotouring and just riding through the city. John has an eye for showing what it means to enjoy the ride.

Tomorrow we will publish the 2012 Rapha NW Gentlemen's Race in its entirety with a film by Droptree Productions, photography from Jon Humphries and a written piece from Simon Robins (pictured above in the Tenspeed Hero jersey).

Peruse John Watson's medium format film photos from the day and get a taste of what the Northwest has to offer should you venture out this way.