What a summer.
Between the dust, the caffeine, and the thousands of miles in Nacho the Van, I spent the past few months chasing bikes either with a camera in hand, a coffee kettle on the boil, or sometimes both. From the high desert of Bend to the red dirt of Arizona to the breezy Oregon Coast, I served up pourovers and snapped photos at more than 20 cycling events across the West.
Looking back, it feels like one long blur of pre-dawn drives, mosquito-chewed legs, finish-line fist bumps, and coffee brewed in the pre-dawn morning. But that’s part of the magic. This strange rhythm I’ve fallen into where life runs on race calendars, portable generators, and shutter clicks.
The Loam Coffee Routine
Early mornings at gravel or mountain bike races all start the same way: camp chairs still folded, riders rubbing sleep out of their eyes, waiting for their legs (and their coffee) to wake up. I pop open the side doors of Nacho, set the kettles on the burners, and soon the smell of fresh-ground beans cuts through the morning chill.
I brewed at events like the Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder, Gorge Gravel, and Ride the Dirt Wave. Sometimes it was a full-on catering setup with commercial brewers. Other times, it was just me, a few pourovers, and a single-line queue of racers in Lycra and hoodies. In either case, I was offering calm before the chaos, a ritual before the rumble of tires.
The Camera Never Rests
When I wasn’t pouring coffee, I was out chasing the light and the leaders.
Some weekends, I left the van at home, opted for my SUV, and roamed the course with my Canon and 70–200mm lens, perched on dusty shoulders or down by a creek crossing, waiting for that split-second moment.
At events like Timberline Daydream, Real West Gravel, Bend Dirt Fest, and Echo Red 2 Red, I’d bounce around out on course, catching racers mid-grimace and mid-glory. I’d show up afterwards muddy, bug-bitten, and usually a little sunburned, but always with a full SD card and that quiet satisfaction that comes with capturing something real.
I don’t do polished, posed race photos. I do dirt and drama. I do documentary-style storytelling because that’s where the soul of the race lives.
What I Learned This Summer
After 20+ events, here’s what I can say for sure:
Coffee makes everything better. Even a brutal day on the bike.
Small towns know how to throw big-hearted races.
The back of a van can become a business.
And the best stories aren’t told from the podium. They’re out on the course, in the early morning jitters and the quiet post-race decompression.
I saw firsthand how powerful these events are, not just for the racers, but for the communities that host them. I brewed coffee in towns that rarely show up on maps, watched locals cheer on strangers, and saw how gravel and mountain bike culture can breathe life into overlooked places. That’s the stuff I want to keep capturing, through my lens, and through each cup I brew.
The Year Isn’t Over
The season’s not done yet. There are still more races to photograph. More kettles to boil. More dusty backroads to explore in Nacho.
If you’ve been following along ... thank you. If you’re just discovering this side of what I do ... stick around. Whether it’s coffee at the start line, photos from the course, or reflections from the road, I’ve got more stories coming your way.
You can follow along here at seanbenesh.com and loamcoffee.com as the next chapter of this season unfolds. See you out there.
