First up – A Dirty Happy New Year everyone! Hope you had an awesome night last night, got reasonably fingered (in any way you so choose) and are still able to ride through hang overs this morning. So, 2013 is in the can and now is about the time we act like sheep on the internet and indulge in a little collective philosophical review of the year that has been.
Oddly, when I think about a lot of people I know, it seems it’s been a rather difficult year on balance. Maybe it’s random, maybe it’s because it was 13? Who knows, but I know a few people who will be reading this, nodding and thinking: “yeah, it’s been a bit cunty…”
For me it’s been absolutely the most bizarre and extreme year of my life… Nothing comes close to the turmoil and excessive contrasts between highs and lows that have pretty much summed up the year. They say that you should only change one or two major things in your life per year… Ok, well, EVERYTHING changed for me this year, sure, I drove a lot of that, so I take accountability there, but it has been a roller coaster. If you’d said to me at the start of the year it would have rolled like this I would have given you a massive WTF and a light semi-playful slapping.
People often say to me that it looks like I am living a dream life and when I look at DN or the Instagram log it’s hard to argue against such an assertion, but it does have a certain amount of “Fuckbook” effect to it as well, where it looks awesome all the time. This year has delivered the most amazing times and experiences, but it’s also dished up the hardest moments ever at the same time… I’ve learnt more than I can possibly convey and I’ve changed (hopefully for the better) forever.
So, in an odd way, thank you 2013 and fuck right off all at the same time… Next year is the year of the horse and, given I’m a horse, its guaranteed to be rad.
Whilst I don’t dig on Fuckbook, I am an obsessive Instagram fan, so had the idea that the best way to reflect on 2013 was to look at the tiles and mini pics that sum up the year and some of its contrasts so well. Sure, it doesn’t show the behind the scenes stuff, but some of those moments are impossible to capture or convey.
To be honest, reflecting on the year via the Instagram log of mini pics didn’t quite work the way I wanted it to, given the way Instagram stores pics in a newest to oldest order, but you’ll get the drift of what I am trying to get at here… I hope, just reverse it in your mind as you wander through the year of contrasts that has been the DN journey. Most importantly, thank you to all the people involved and who supported my travels and the tricky times.
Good luck for 2014 everyone, travel and ride with your crew as much as you possibly can:
Whistler to Italy
One of the biggest contrasts all year… From 4000m DH in a day to 4000m road climbing in a day…
Italy to Japan via Singapore
Espresso Lakeside at Como to Udon noodles with the Hawk… Awesome change up
Japan to Wellington via Singapore
Another massive change… Beautiful Yoti to beautiful Welly Bays and coffee!
Malaysia and Singapore to Spain
Packing up DN HQ to go fully mobile… The unhappy face from Genting and then FULL stoke at Spain action
Spain to Abu Dhabi
From Pro action in Madrid straight into the Desert, this was an OUT there change
5 Passes in NZ to Tour OF Bintan in Indonesia
One week, two stage races… Massively different… a lot of KM’s, good dudes and hard racing
Singapore to Perth
I couldn’t wait to get to Perth and the Dok dished up the perfect diet of dirt, rock and pea gravel to kick start summer
A great post! I agree, 2013 left a lot to be desired. I started counting up the negatives, like all the horrible stuff that happened, (and that didn’t include weather related disasters) just the stuff in my own little life…and I ran out of fingers…and stopped. Moving right along, if nothing else, let’s hope 2014 is better than last year. I don’t think that’s too much to ask…(if you’re listening Mr/Mrs Universe!)
I loved your photo montage, mosaic…very clever.