Bells Starts Ringing

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RB_Bells_AI.jpgThe first, stormy round of the Rip Curl Pro is in the books, and after a wild, victory-at-sea day at Bells, Andy Irons is looking increasingly meaner and hungrier. He breezed through his much hyped heat against Jordy Smith like it was just another stormy day at Pine Trees. While some people struggled with their equipment, Andy’s board looked like it was working well.

For the first time in 15 events Mick Fanning lost his Round One heat. He would get back on the horse later in the day and survive the dregs of the elimination round. But mind you, last year nobody that surfed Round 2 heat won the contest. That's not to say Mick can't crush everybody, he can, it's just that he's got a lot of work ahead of him.


Then there was poor Adriano De Souza’s who’s had his little heart broken in the last two events by Kelly Slater. Both at the Quik Pro and now at the Rip Curl Pro, he’s come out firing against the eight-time world champ, racking up nines early in both heats, but somehow, maybe it has something to do with Kelly being Kelly, Adriano’s ended up in the loser’s box.

Interestingly, come Round 2 Adriano’s set to face fellow Red Bull rider and a guy who knows a thing or twoRB_Bells_Tiago.jpg aboutspeaking in Portuguese, Tiago Pieres. Also joining them on the elimination bubble is Bruce Irons, who will be surfing against good friend Freddy Patacchia, as well as Ben Dunn, who's looking better and better after coming back from last year's injury.

Should the surf clean up, and should Bells really turn on, it’s going to be interesting. The wave’s open face has the potential to expose a lot of flaws and weaknesses in the more radical acts, while rewarding those who know a thing or two about drawing clean lines. Stay tuned, the rest of Round Two is coming up.

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