GRINDTV NEWSWIRE via ASP - RIBEIRA D'ILHAS, Ericeira/Portugal (Wednesday, October 20, 2010) - The Quiksilver Pro Portugal and Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) sanctioned Men's Star Series event witnessed an overnight increase in swell allowing for a great day of competitive surfing at the legendary point break of Ribeira D'Ilhas.

Lines in the 4-5ft range wrapped along the point producing excellent conditions for the strong international field of athletes. Early morning heats were battered by freezing off-shore winds which abated offering another warm sunny afternoon.

Nic von Rupp (DEU) advanced through to Round Three in a nail-biting finish which saw him claw his way back into second place behind hot favourite Jeremy Flores (FRA). Having qualified in similar circumstances yesterday, Von Rupp is looking to find his feet and develop a better strategy for the remainder of the Quiksilver Pro Portugal.

"The whole stress of the situation makes my knees weigh about twenty kilos more on each leg so I am stoked I got through in the last seconds. Hopefully next heat I'll start off with a couple of solid scores and then better my scores through the heat."

"I wish I wouldn't leave it to the last minute in these heats," continued von Rupp. "I would like to start off with a couple of waves straight away. I have been progressing as the minutes pass, getting more confident and I am glad I made that heat."

Coming from the recent ASP Junior World Tour event in Bali and surfing with a heavy brace on his right knee, von Rupp has felt the bitter sweet reality of having to be on dry land while waiting for his injured knee to improve.

"I have been two weeks out of the water now. I had stretched ligaments as soon as I got back from Bali. I was 10 days without surfing and it really made me realise how much I love the sport and how crazy I get without being able to surf. I am just very happy to be in the water and surfing against the best guys on tour makes it even better."

Turning a lot of heads was the performance of youngster Ian Gouveia (Recife, BRA) 17, son of former WT surfer Fabio, with his first placing to advance also through to Round Three of competition. Building on his scores to finish with two solid rides and a combined heat total of 13.33, Gouveia looked at home in the conditions despite being on his first visit to Portugal.

"I got a couple of good ones for sure. It was a slow heat at the beginning with some sets that came through and I was lucky I got a few good ones when they came."

No stranger to major ASP Men's Star Series events, Gouveia is hoping to better his fifth placing last year in Fernando do Noronha.

"I was really happy with the scores," stated Gouveia. "It feels so good to be here like my dad did and I'm stoked with it. I am sure they are watching at home."

Tiago Pires (Ericeira, PRT) made his long awaited debut performance in front of an expectant crowd which he did not let down. Surfing in one of the later heats before the high tide, made for trickier conditions forcing Pires to rely on his local knowledge of the break.

"It is a relief to make it through but I have made so many heats out here that I don't expect to lose this early but you never know what may happen especially in these conditions with the tricky tides today. You have to be careful out there, be very selective and patient. It worked out for me and I won with two average scores but I want to surf better."

Pires may have been comfortable with the situation however his fellow competitors were out for a full-on battle knowing they had one of the favourites in their heat. Early hasseling was obvious and led to a solution which Pires offered to the guys.

"There was a lot of jostling for position out there in the beginning of the heat and I was getting a bit upset because the guys didn't want to surf, they just wanted to grab the position on the inside. So it was a bit stressful so I put in a word and said 'Hey guys, lets surf the heat otherwise we will miss all the waves and be paddling further and further away'".

The Quiksilver Pro Portugal is offering Pires a chance to try out some of his equipment not usually used in other events. With the demonstration given today he has sent out a clear message that things are starting to come together and another huge result on home soil is possibly on the cards.

"I managed to win the heat with no big scores and I am trying out a board for these conditions. It is not one of my main boards, it is more of a backup, and I don't use it on the World tour for example. I want to give it a go because it has been working and see how it goes."

Marc Lacomare (Capbreton, FRA) 20, took full advantage of the clean conditions of his early morning heat by building on his scores and gain confidence as he is recovering from a recent back injury. Finishing off with an excellent series of backhand gouges to obtain an 8.57 out of 10 Lacomare has commenced his Quiksilver Pro Portugal campaign strongly.

"For sure it is good to get through that one and with the strong off-shore it is sometimes difficult out there. The first heat of an event is always tough when you look for which is your best board. I tried to find only the good waves out there and it worked for me today."

Currently leading the European Men's Series title race, Lacomare knows the importance of this event due to the fact that we are at stop nº10 of 12 of the title race. Lacomare won the 2009 ASP European Junior Champion and is focused on the Open Title in 2010.

"This is for me a very important contest because it is the end of the season with only a couple of events left. So it is important for me to try and do well here. I hurt my back and today in the water it felt a little better. I haven't surfed for two weeks so I want to try and go step by step."

Surfers competing in the Quiksilver Pro Portugal are out to claim valuable ASP World Ranking points in their endeavour to qualify for next year's elite ASP World Tour. European surfers are on stop nº 10 of 12 in their bid to claim this year's ASP European Men's Title.



For all results, videos, daily highlights, photos and news log-on to www.aspeurope.com

Quiksilver Pro Portugal Round 2 Results
Heat 1: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 14.50, Nic von Rupp (DEU) 13.50, Dede Suryana (IDN) 13.17, Romain Cloitre (FRA) 11.64
Heat 2: Ian Gouveia (BRA) 13.33, Hodei Collazo (EUK) 12.00, Chris Salisbury (AUS) 10.16, Francisco Alves (PRT) 9.33
Heat 3: Justin Mujica (PRT) 10.26, Adrien Toyon (REU) 10.10, Charlie Brown (BRA) 9.43, Frederic Robin (REU) 7.66
Heat 4: Leonardo Neves (BRA) 14.07, Abdel El Harim (MAR) 12.67, Brandon Jackson (ZAF) 12.40, Alexandre Ferreira (PRT) 8.36
Heat 5: Jonathan Gonzalez (CNY) 15.44, Eneko Acero (EUK) 13.23, Joao Antunes (PRT) 7.50, Demitri Ouvre (FRA) 4.26
Heat 6: Pablo Paulino (BRA) 13.73, Beto Mariano (BRA) 12.23, Romain Laulhe (FRA) 7.77, Alan Stokes (GBR) 5.13
Heat 7: Josh Kerr (AUS) 15.00, Klee Strachan (ZAF) 13.70, Marcos Fernandez (BRA) 12.60, Miguel Mouzinho (PRT) 10.53
Heat 8: Jean Da Silva (BRA) 14.33, Mickey Picon (FRA) 12.43, Noboyuki Osawa (JPN) 10.56, Marlon Lipke (DEU) 10.23

Quiksilver Pro Portugal Remaining Round 1 Results
Heat 15: Jean Da Silva (BRA) 12.00, Marco Fernandez (BRA) 9.33, Antonin De Soultrait (FRA) 8.23, Britton Galland (USA) 5.97
Heat 16: Mickey Picon (FRA) 13.30, Miguel Mouzinho (PRT) 9.60, Patrick Beven (FRA) 9.54, Jhon Junior (BRA) 8.33
Heat 17: Marc Lacomare (FRA) 15.24, Charles Martin (GLP) 13.34, David Luis (PRT) 8.46, Ricardo Lange (DEU) 6.43
Heat 18: Frederico Morais (PRT) 10.43, David Raimundo (PRT) 9.00, Beyrick De Vries (ZAF) 6.40, Thiago De Souza (BRA) 5.33
Heat 19: Masatoshi Ohno (JPN) 12.50, Ivo Cacao (PRT) 8.80, Jatyr Berasaluce (EUK) 8.26, Borja Agote (EUK) 7.23
Heat 20: Hugo Savalli (REU) 11.00, Damien Chaudoy (REU) 9.90, Bernardo Miranda (BRA) 8.84, Andre Oziol (BRB) 6.87
Heat 21: Yuri Sodre (BRA) 13.73, Txaber Trojaola (EUK) 9.54, Norman Landa (EUK) 8.80, Skylar Lawson (USA) 3.83
Heat 22: Gony Zubizarreta (ESP) 12.83, Stephen Walsh (AUS) 10.83, Leonardo Belime (PRT) 8.03, Andre Teixeira (BRA) 7.17
Heat 23: Bruno Rodrigues (BRA) 13.00, Vasco Ribeiro (PRT) 12.24, Joao Guedes (PRT) 11.90, Nuno Florencio (PRT) 3.40
Heat 24: Tiago Pires (PRT) 13.37, Jesse Mendes (BRA) 12.67, Tiago Camarao (BRA) 8.56, Oli Adams (GBR) 6.07

Todd Richard's lifestyle versus Bryan Fox's lifestyle is the hot topic of this week's Todcast.
Bryan's man pose.

These two own up to their differences in New Zealand. These differences being the fact that Todd would rather jump on a hotel bed and go to a day spa than go snowboarding and/or camping with Bryan. So basically, Todd is definitely more of a woman than Bryan is.

See for yourself.

GRINDTV NEWSWIRE via ASP - CULS NUS BEACH, Seignosse/France (Thursday, September 30, 2010) - The Quiksilver Pro France resumed competition this afternoon, completing the remaining nine Round 2 heats in solid four-to-six foot (2 metre) surf at the primary site of Culs Nus Beach.

Event No. 7 of 10 on the 2010 ASP World Tour, the Quiksilver Pro France bore witness to some sensational surfing and upsets this afternoon as the 36-man field was reduced to 24.

Luke Munro (AUS), 27, current ASP World No. 31, was in excellent form this afternoon, besting former three-time ASP World Champion (and past three-time Quiksilver Pro France champ) Andy Irons (HAW), 32, in Round 2 of competition.

"I think I've actually got Andy (Irons) a couple times out here," Munro said. "He's an incredible surfer and you know he's capable of getting a score anywhere on tour at any time. He's going to be pretty upset coming off a big win in Tahiti, but he'll be back on the podium again soon enough."

En route to his emphatic Round 2 win, Munro consistently notched up dramatic barrels, collecting the day's highest heat total of 16.87 out of a possible 20 including a near perfect 9.87 out of a possible 10 for an incredibly deep forehand barrel.

"I felt pretty comfortable out there from get go," Munro said. "It's sort of like home at Straddy (Stradbroke Island) so my plan was to go out and get a lot of waves. I think (on my 9.77) I got a little greedy. I probably could have hung in there a second longer, but I wanted to make sure I could get out too."

Munro will take on reigning ASP World Champion and defending Quiksilver Pro France champion Mick Fanning (AUS), 29, in Round 3 of competition.

Jadson Andre (BRA), 20, current ASP World No. 13, survived a hard-fought Round 2 bout against fellow rookie Matt Wilkinson (AUS), 22, to keep his Quiksilver Pro France campaign alive.

"Wilko (Matt Wilkinson) really rips on his backhand - I think he has the best backhand on tour for goofy-footers," Andre said. "I knew it would be tough heat I just tried to get the two best waves of the heat. I'm so stoked to get through."

After netting a solid barrel-to-snap combination on his backhand, Andre attempted a series of high-flying aerial maneuvers, even successfully landing an impressive rotation to end the heat.

"I think that last maneuver broke my board," Andre said. "The waves are so fun here. They remind me of home a lot. Good ramps and I'm so happy to keep going in this event. Right now, just thinking about the next heat."

Andre faces Jeremy Flores (FRA), 22, in Round3 of competition.

Taylor Knox (USA), 39, current ASP World No. 23, survived a tight heat against Adam Melling (AUS), 25, to close the day out this evening. As the tide filled in, both the powerful natural-footers put on an impressive display of rail work, but it was the veteran holding onto the win and advancing to Round 3.

"The conditions change so much in France that I knew the barrels we were seeing earlier in the afternoon weren't going to be around for us," Knox said. "It was always going to come down to turns and unfortunately, there weren't a lot of opportunities for either of us out there. I have a ton of respect for Adam (Melling) he's an amazing surfer and it's hard when you draw your friends early. Happy to get through though. I have some amazing boards right now and I'm ready for tomorrow."

Knox will battle compatriot Damien Hobgood (USA), 31, when competition resumes.

Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7:45am to assess conditions for a possible 8am start at Culs Nus Beach.

When competition resumes, up first will be Taj Burrow (AUS), 32, up against Daniel Ross (AUS), 27, in the opening heat of Round 3.

Highlights from the Quiksilver Pro France will be available via http://quiksilverlive.com/profrance2010/

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

QUIKSILVER PRO FRANCE REMAINING ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 4: Damien Hobgood (USA) 11.17 def. Travis Logie (ZAF) 9.50
Heat 5: Luke Munro (AUS) 16.87 def. Andy Irons (HAW) 11.00
Heat 6: Daniel Ross (AUS) 10.77 def. Bobby Martinez (USA) 5.17
Heat 7: Tom Whitaker (AUS) 14.50 def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 8.10
Heat 8: Jadson Andre (BRA) 13.83 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 5.67
Heat 9: Michel Bourez (PYF) 9.10 def. Roy Powers (HAW) 2.33
Heat 10: Chris Davidson (AUS) 8.00 def. Dusty Payne (HAW) 6.84
Heat 11: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 10.60 def. Luke Stedman (AUS) 7.47
Heat 12: Taylor Knox (USA) 11.67 def. Adam Melling (AUS) 10.03

QUIKSILVER PRO FRANCE ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Daniel Ross (AUS)
Heat 2: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. Taylor Knox (USA)
Heat 3: Dane Reynolds (USA) vs. Brett Simpson (USA)
Heat 4: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. Patrick Gudauskas (USA)
Heat 5: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Chris Davidson (AUS)
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Julian Wilson (AUS)
Heat 7: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Gabe Kling (USA)
Heat 8: Jadson Andre (BRA) vs. Jeremy Flores (FRA)
Heat 9: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. Kai Otton (AUS)
Heat 10: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Tom Whitaker (AUS)
Heat 11: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) vs. Kieren Perrow (AUS)
Heat 12: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Luke Munro (AUS)

Round 2 of the Quiksilver Pro France is still on hold, having completed just 3 heats of the elimination round. So far, only Adriano de Souza, wildcard Maxime Huscenot, and Bede Durbidge have been taken out of competition. Bede lost a shocker to wildcard Julian Wilson in marginal conditions, and coming off his final with Kelly Slater at Trestles, one would assume Durbidge to be livid about his title hopes slipping away. This is not the case, as the man from Stradbroke Island had already planned on returning home, foregoing the Portugal event, and any title hopes, to witness the birth of his first child with his wife Tarryn.

The forecast is looking somewhat promising, with a rise in swell predicted for Thursday in France (Wed at midnight west coast time), so hopefully we see the contest back underway then, In the meantime, here are some of the gems I was able to dig up around the event website. I guess the whole "Question Box" was inspired by a very popular European TV show where contestants are put in an interview box with nothing but a computer screen asking them questions. Dane's responses are classic, and Kelly and Belly have some great insights. Also, check out the wipeouts from round 1 below, Adam Melling deserves some sort of award for the ass-whooping he received trying to doggy-door a twelve foot hossegor meat-grinder. In the image above have screen-grabbed the precise moment when Adam immediately regrets his decision to come to France.

DAY 1 RE-CAP AND VIDEO HERE...

GRINDTV NEWSWIRE via ASP- CULS NUS BEACH, Hossegor/France (Monday, September 27, 2010) - The pumping barrels of yesterday gave way to inconsistent two-to-three foot (1 metre) waves this morning, prompting event organizers at the Quiksilver Pro France to call competition off after completing the opening three heats of Round 2.

The seventh stop on the 2010 ASP World Tour, the Quiksilver Pro France was forced to halt competition early today, but the world's best surfers still provided fireworks amidst the challenging conditions.

Julian Wilson (AUS), 21, wildcard into the Quiksilver Pro France, caused a major upset this morning, defeating current ASP World No. 6, Bede Durbidge (AUS), 27, with a strong backhand wave at the end of the heat.

"I got through so that's a great feeling," Wilson said. "It was a close one. I only needed a small score at the end and I knew I was going to get the opportunity and all I had to do was not fall off. In a World Tour event, you don't expect to surf waves like that so I feel bad for Bede (Durbidge). Hopefully we can get better conditions for the next one."

Currently ranked No. 77 on the ASP World Rankings, Wilson is looking to qualify for the elite ASP Top 34 as soon as 2011.

"I started my competitive year about halfway through," Wilson said. "I had an injury at the start that I needed to take time to rehab. When I came back, I won a 6-Star in SriLanka which was amazing. When I came to Europe and was premiering my movie and didn't really net a result. Hopefully I can get through a few more heats here and build some confidence to make a big push through the rest of the year."

Kelly Slater (USA), 38, former nine-time ASP World Champion and current ASP World No. 1, survived a wave-starved Round 2 bout today against wildcard Maxime Huscenot (FRA), 18, in the opening heat of the day.

"Maxime (Huscenot) surf really well," Slater said. "The waves being so flat today, I think it was more of an equalizer. Yesterday there was such a luck factor and literally anyone could have got a wave that would ultimately get you the score. I thought one of us would get one of those lefts down the beach but we didn't. It was tough going out there."

Gabe Kling (USA), 30, wildcard for the back half of the 2010 ASP World Tour season, scored the day's second and final major upset, ousting current ASP World No. 7, Adriano de Souza (BRA), 23, from Quiksilver Pro France competition.

"Adriano (de Souza) is very strong in these conditions," Kling said. "Little righthanders where he is able to punt some airs. I was ready to go as well. We got out there, they called a hold, we came in and I was ready to go. I didn't want to wait. When we paddled back out, I moved down the beach and I think that maybe made the difference."

Currently ranked No. 29 on the ASP World Rankings, Kling will look to use his opportunities at the elite level to increase his chances of cementing himself amongst the ASP Top 34 for 2011.

"As the injury wildcard, I only get five events at this level against everyone else's 10," Kling said. "So I'm looking at this as an opportunity to bolster my World Ranking. I love competing at this level and against the best guys. It's hard, but I feel like I belong here."

Event organizers will reconvene at 8am tomorrow morning to assess conditions for a possible start.

When competition resumes, up first will be Damien Hobgood (USA), 21, up against Travis Logie (ZAF), 31.

Highlights from the Quiksilver Pro France will be available via http://quiksilverlive.com/profrance2010/

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

QUIKSILVER PRO FRANCE ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Kelly Slater (USA) 10.00 def. Maxime Huscenot (FRA) 7.40
Heat 2: Julian Wilson (AUS) 11.44 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 10.24
Heat 3: Gabe Kling (USA) 11.20 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 10.10

QUIKSILVER PRO FRANCE REMAINING ROUND 2 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 4: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. Travis Logie (ZAF)
Heat 5: Andy Irons (HAW) vs. Luke Munro (AUS)
Heat 6: Bobby Martinez (USA) vs. Daniel Ross (AUS)
Heat 7: Tiago Pires (PRT) vs. Tom Whitaker (AUS)
Heat 8: Jadson Andre (BRA) vs. Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
Heat 9: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Roy Powers (HAW)
Heat 10: Chris Davidson (AUS) vs. Dusty Payne (HAW)
Heat 11: Kieren Perrow (AUS) vs. Luke Stedman (AUS)
Heat 12: Adam Melling (AUS) vs. Taylor Knox (USA)