Eliot Jackson – a demon on a bike, whips from hell and … also a super nice, super down to earth guy. His Facebook status that he posted up this morning from Vancouver airport is the most inspiring thing we’ve seen online today:
“I’m sitting here in the airport, eating at the same sandwich place I’ve eaten at for the past 5 years, reminiscing about the past 2 weeks and it reminds me of why and how I started riding in the first place.
I thought the definition of downhill riding was pretty much just riding down a hiking trail that didn’t have any uphills and maybe some rocks. That or hucking 40 ft drops. It wasn’t until I came here for the first time with Kristian Atkins and I got to ride all the trails and watch the World Cup racers on Canadian Open that I realized that I was maybe just a tiiiiiny bit wrong. I didn’t know anyone and my bike probably weighed 60 pounds but man I had the time of my life and I knew that’s what wanted to be doing from then on.
It’s such a full circle moment because not only did I get to race that race for the past 3 years, I got race World Cups and be one of the people that I used to look up to and cheer for. It still is mind boggling when people tell me they enjoy watching me ride because I still feel like that about all of my friends up here.
I got to ride my bike all around the globe and now because of it a lot of my best friends are spread out in different countries and continents around the world. A lot of people ask me what the worst part about not racing is. It is: not getting to see all of my friends and hear the outrageous stories they have from in between races, riding at stupidly beautiful places while I yell at Bernard Kerr going down the trail, dancing better than everyone at world cup after parties, bombing tolls on the way to the next race, achieving goals, finally getting that run you knew you could, riding behind Bren Fairclough and not understanding how he does the things he does, staying with Mitchell Delfs, Harry Heath and Bernard, the list goes on.
I had such a great 13 days but man do I miss all of you guys!!!!”
Photo by Duncan Philpott.
