Cyclists on the Smithfield Street Bridge & Skyline

We interrupt this media feed of gloom and doom to inject something a little more beautiful into your newsfeed: This morning our Mt. Lebanon Cycling and Caffeine Club was surprised with a lucky find on Twitter of this incredible shot taken by local photographer, Brad Berkstresser.

He was out with his drone taking photos of the sunrise on Saturday, March 14th (and probably freezing), as the club rode over the Smithfield Street Bridge on their weekly Saturday morning city ride. In typical alpha-style, my dad is seen up front leading the pack on his pretty new blue Cannondale e-bike from West Liberty Cycles. Apparently the guys saw the drone climbing skyward as they were approaching the bridge, hence Matt waving hello. (Where was I? Drinking coffee in my pj’s waiting to ride later when it warmed up!)

I reached out to Brad this morning and he was excited to learn about this serendipitous event, the backstory of our club, and that they've been doing this ride into the city for 30 years. The photo is also special because this particular Saturday was the last full club ride before the Coronavirus and social distancing put group rides on hiatus. It’s not often that a photographer gets to learn about the subjects of his candid street photography. He's made the print available to purchase on his Etsy site and has been wonderful to engage with, so please support local yinzer artists if you can!