Wikipedia:Featured picture candidates/Cross-country mountain bike race

 
Original - Competitors in the men's under 23 cross-country event at the 2009 World Championships line up at the start. Eventual winner Burry Stander (RSA) is second from left.
Reason
A good close-up of the future of men's cross-country mountain biking, focusing on the riders rather than just the bikes. EV is enhanced by the fact the numbers on the bikes reflect the riders' world ranking at the start of the race (#1 wasn't competing for some reason), and the eventual winner (#2) appears to be the main subject. I have also identified all riders on the front row, several of which would probably pass notability requirements. The dominance of Switzerland in this event is clear. Aesthetically, I like the nice bright colours - the blue background complements some of the white uniforms and helmets well. On the downside, the shadows are quite heavy, and perhaps I shouldn't have left half a rider on the right hand side. (I can upload an uncropped version if needed.) And an open (rather than U23) event would have had higher EV - but I wasn't there on the right day for that.
Articles this image appears in
Cross-country mountain biking, UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships
Creator
Stevage

Not promoted --Makeemlighter (talk) 23:36, 4 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]