Hopefully you’ve had the chance to catch up on some sleep over the last few days. We’ve been dropping back hire gear and attempting to retrieve markers from hills that are still swathed in cloud. It was a fun few days and we are already thinking about next year.... Will keep you in the loop.

We’re covering a few things in this newsletter:

• A survey of your thoughts on the event
• A list of  awesome stuff for sale, and how to buy it
• A bit of a recap from our perspective

Please can you click on the following link and fill out the 4 minute survey, we are keen to make this event better, and need your feedback. It’s completely anonymous so please be frank. Thanks.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=x80DPIARD00YDxWqUT5oQg_3d_3d

• Marfell's Beach wine www.marfellsbeach.co.nz - get in quick and place your race order and get a discount. Email emandstu@marfellsbeach.co.nz and state "I want a taste of Marfell's Beach" to go in the draw to win half a case.
• Moa Beer...www.moabeer.co.nz. We all know you want some.
• Race gear bags – 100L, sturdy, and in sexy lime green - $100 (+$10 postage)
• Skins Alpine Epic full zip short sleeved jerseys - $120 (free postage)
• Skins Alpine Epic bib shorts - $120 (free postage)
• Skins Alpine Epic socks - $15 (free postage)
• Photos, get in touch with Craig at hedgehogphotography@xtra.co.nz and quote your race number, he has some great stuff,
• To add photos to the gallery on the website email them to photos@alpineepic.co.nz

If in doubt, email us with, for example, "bag purchase" in the subject line. Cheers

4 days, 1800 potatoes, 400 sausages, 70 watermelon, 4 hours sleep per night, 4 course changes, 1500 meals, 40 boxes of Cookietimes, 60kg Isofuel, 4 volunteers lost on way to Peel Forest, 4 breakdowns of vehicles, 3 times Jamie and Rob thought they could win it from 2 hours behind the leaders, 4 stages won by Roadcraft Kashi and Marcus, 4 stages won by Megan and Sadie, 3 teams that won stages in the mixed category, 450 standards used during event, 40 still on slopes of Mt Burgess in the cloud, 4 English riders trying to kiss Debs on Saturday night, 70L of Moa Beer consumed at prizegiving, 40 empty bottles of Marfell's Beach wine in marquee on Sunday, 1 farmer who thought Gus had fancy shoes, 2 seconds by which Vamos En Bici beat the C&B Sessions to win the stage 3 mixed team time trial, 5 stages won by Fleet Cycles in the classic men's category, 4 reported zaps from electric fences.

We had a wicked time, it was busy and moderately stressful on occassion, but it was awesome, and loads of fun. 2010 should be a blast. We hope you have a good winter, and maybe next year we will all get to lie in the sun at the end of each stage and relax.

Thanks for helping make this event what we hoped for, mountain biking as it was in the beginning.