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what a great article, up there with jenn's(i think it was jenn??) trip across the states, really enjoyed it, thanks Matt
Liked it too, written with style 🙂
Yep I liked it too, definitely up there with the best articles. I take it misses out on the 2010 article of the year?
ah, you are the Ash in the article i take it?
Aye, it is I.
and I'm the Phil, but I'm not sure if thats a good thing or not 😆
We had a laugh, deserves to be sold out so quickly this year. Well done Ash.
Phrase of the week from Ash 'there's not really any climbing on this stage' ha, the mans a sado/masochist but the downs are so worth it 😆
Brill article - well done all!
and I'm the Phil, but I'm not sure if thats a good thing or not
So how was the Jones??
It was actually great, the Fat Front did the job admirably in terms of taking (some) of the beating off my arms and shoulders and it was wicked fast on the smoother forest singletrack.
Definitely slower on the rocky stuff, but I was under no illusions it was gonna be faster than a susser, just that I could get down it all at a decent pace 🙂
Here she is in T-P fettle
[url= http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5249/5266556789_22ba655ccf.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pilot/5266556789/ ]TP-byMichielRotgans-62[/url]
It did however still beat the crap out of my upper body compared to a suspended front end (sooooo many rock steps) . On the plus side whilst It kind of broke me, it didn't break, not a single mechanical issue all week.
I did have a bit of an 'off' down what Ash lovingly calls 'exposure' as a result of being dead knackered and having had to stop to drop my post, believing I could catch my riding buddies (wrong, ego writing cheques my body couldn't cash) resulting in a very bruised set of shoulders and confidence, I blasted the rest of the stage but was a little shaken, pity really as looking back it was one awesome descent.
Fell down here but managed to grab a rosemary bush, bike was caught by the same bushes.
The foreground is the trail I sat on to 'gather' myself, that big drop under the twisty singletrack is where I was headed 😯
[img][url= http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5010/5266541753_6c57a9f70b.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pilot/5266541753/ ]P1000503[/url][/img]
As a result some very kind Belgian Journo's, who's photo's were in STW, lent me a demo Trek remedy for the following day for a 'rest' which worked, very squishy, also made me decide that sometimes I don't need the technical challenge of getting a rigid down some of that stuff, I now know I can, and that its ok to just blast a big comfy sofa at high speed without worrying too much about manualing over everything and finding a good line, this epiphany led to this...
url= http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1200/5105526008_4ef7afcd06.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_pilot/5105526008/ ]P1000745[/url]
I've said it before, and I will say it again, totally inspirational event, brilliant people, excellent organisation, food etc and trails from heaven.
...and Matt's a great guy, very funny, the article is excellent, really captures the feel of the event 
Yeah, really enjoyed it too. One day.
Nice write-up Phil.