Retro ROC

[Luke]

Hiya, putting this up cos I'm so pleased with the way it rides and I've just got the photos (bought at great expense)

I entered the Roc d'Azur this year so early I was sure to get an early start. It turns out I haven't been riding much, and anyway I ended up with 2000 riders starting before me.
So I decided to make it a fun day out, and took my 5500.
OK great first climb was a singletrack newly cut through the woods, took 15 min to walk up about 300metres there were so many riders.
Someone at the top had fallen and done in his collarbone!
At the top of a climb!!!
Also tons of punctures, hell I love Stan's!

Then the fun started! OMG I had no idea that the Proflex and my Rockshox sid XL had been perfectly tuned with the Esterel and the Roc in mind.
Absolutely blasted the descents, swooshing and swooping through winding singles and fire trails, shouting
"I'm passing on your right/left" continuously (in french) and sounding the Air Zound
So bloody continuously I had to abbreviate.
And all of the early singles were walks because there was just too much traffic; depressing to walk down a path you can see would be a superb ride.
The bike was impeccable, I could not believe how fast it felt, and judging by how slow the others were going the terrain is technical. One of those "running out of superlatives" moments.
Flew through the rocky descent that attracts the spectators, much to their joy (why is there never a photographer there when you need one)

Finally I get to turn left too
And there was a bit of climbing :-)

A great day out really, and now that I've moved to within 40 minutes of the venue I'll be investigating the GPS track I recorded on my phone.
I have the greatest excuse for a DNF though:
The traffic was so intense and the delays so long that I had to break away and take a short cut to go and pick my mother in law up at the railway station.

Any Proflex riders planning on doing it in 2011?

[Willie_B]

That really sounds like you had a good time.

[shovelon]

Very Cool Luke!

[mootsguy]

w00t--sounds like a good time was had.