Marcus Enno aka Beardy McBeard has established himself as one of the most professional and highly regarded cycling photographers in the world! Shooting races such as the Tour de France, Giro D'Italia and Paris Roubaix as official press photographer Beardy has seen the absolute pinnacle of his craft. However it was no easy path to attain the respect & notoriety he holds today. Before venturing out as his own brand Beardy had a life changing health situation that fostered a different outlook on his career trajectory and life. Tune in for the story behind the great pictures!

Marcus Enno aka Beardy McBeardy has established himself as one of the most professional and highly regarded cycling photographers in the world! Shooting races such as the Tour de France, Giro D'Italia and Paris Roubaix as official press photographer Beardy has seen the absolute pinnacle of his craft.

We sat down with Beardy to explore this story and what lead him to become one of the worlds most highly regarded cycling photographers. His initial passion was not cycling however, growing up in the NSW coastal town of Newcastle, Australia. "I grew up in Newcastle, not far from the Newcastle beach. I was one of the little groms down there on my esky lid surfing the shore break, it was a pretty nice place to grow up”.

However, it was during high school that his true passion emerged whilst doing a photography class in school his imagination was ignited. Moving out from home at 18 to the big city of Sydney to study photography at TAFE. Living in a share house and working as a dental assistant to make ends meet Beardy had committed to pursuing photography as a career path. “I learned a lot about, not only photography, but about business and about how to work for clients”.

It was during this time in Sydney, that Beardy found another passion- Cycling. Initially as a form of transport to avoid getting parking fines in the city. Then this blossomed into social gatherings with a group of mates who would ride from pub to pub in the city of an evening on fixed gear brakeless bikes! Realising an enjoyment in the sport, he then invested in a road bike which more or less signified the beginning of a career switch away from the studio photography work he was doing at the time. “So, then I started riding my bicycle just because I didn't want to leave my motorbike out on the street all day and get a parking ticket and then I realised I actually really enjoyed it”.

Whilst working in the big city Beardy encountered Miriam who would later become his wife. A holiday to Europe on touring bikes they took together inadvertently introduced Beardy to the world of using the bicycle as a tool for taking photo’s and uncovered the interest that those images conjured in his mates back home. This was chronicled in his first online blog called the Leather Saddle, which became a seminal part of his online presence as a photographer and story teller. “That was my first foray into publishing something online and we just used our phones to take the photo's and it was early iPhone and we used a program called Hipstamatic which was kind of the precursor to Instagram”.

“ I came back afterwards thinking, “Oh I love this” ”

Life was going along well for Beardy with working in a photography studio, Miriam by his side and Cycling as an increasingly relevant passion. However, life took somewhat of a turn with the discovery of some swelling close to his collarbone. After seeing a local GP initially and having a regular biopsy performed on it, Beardy was then encouraged by his haematologist father to have surgery for further tests to be performed..

“My Dad called me up to tell me the results and he said, “I’ve got bad news about the biopsy. It’s a Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which is a cancer and I’m going to find someone that you can go and see and get treatment”

Beardy was prescribed numerous rounds of treatments to try and minimise the spread of and then eradicate the cancer. “It was six months before I finished my treatment, just because they needed to make sure it was all... Not just not visible but- all gone!”.

This experience fostered a motivation to raise funds for others experiencing the life changing treatment that a cancer diagnosis can bring on. This lead to Beardy running a number of events in support of The Leukemia Foundation.

“ I realized that the chemo was going to make me lose most of my hair anyway, so it was going to have to come off. So, I thought, why not do something positive and raise some money”

“So, that was a great way to get me through some of the lower times... But yeah, really, really positive out of a negative.”

Getting through the experience with cancer played a role in eliciting somewhat of a shift in what Beardy wanted to devote his work life to.. A trip to the Tour de France as a privateer photographer helped encourage him to realise his skill and potential as a cycling photographer. “I'd never watched the race and thought about being a photographer there but when I was there, I witnessed them and I was thinking, imagine what this would be like? But I never thought that would be me. It was just making the connection that here's a photography job that you could do when you chase the tour”.

“I always love images that tell a story and something a bit unique... The interaction between the rider, the fans and the landscape... When those things all balance nicely. That’s when you get the greatest images”

After an exhibition at the Rapha cycle club house in Sydney where local cycling media attended, it became evident that this indeed could become a full time career! Taking photo’s of the sport that he loved!

“It almost feels like a bit like a painting and so when you can take it away from just being like he’s a person in a race to something that’s telling the story but it is also like an artistic shot, I think that’s when I feel like I’ve done my job and really made something unique.”

His work in the cycling game had gained such traction and notoriety that Beardy was now getting contracts with companies like ASO, UCI and RCS to cover races like Paris-Roubaix, Giro D’Italia and Tour de France. This was an entirely different experience to privateer photography now getting to experience the full on, hectic situations that surround professional cycling races and the logistical nightmares that accompany them.

“ it’s a crazy trying to figure out where to go every day”

With 2020 being a rather quiet year with travel restrictions, event cancellations etc Beardy has made the most of his new life settling in to the Tasmanian city of Hobart. Working on his home and caring for new addition to his family baby Olive. Beardy parts us with some stellar advice for anyone with a dream to follow their passion in life.

“I was staring down the barrel with cancer and I was thinking, “My god, this is going to be the end for me.” And I came through and that only made my desire to do what I really wanted to do stronger.”

“I think there’s something about when you can combine two passions and make it into a job then it’s not really a job, is it!”

Beardy McBeard in his new home city of Hobart, Tasmania.

“just keep on what you want to do and push hard and I think people are rewarded for hard work and having a vision.”

Mind Matters Podcast Episode 4: A Look Behind the Lens- A yarn with cycling photographer Marcus Enno aka 'Beardy McBeardy'.

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