John John Florence is a true believer in respecting his elders, as most Hawaiians are. That's especially true when it comes to his friend Bede Durbidge, who was a huge part of Florence's World Title run last year.
Durbidge, you'll recall, sat out most of last season due to a broken pelvis. Once he was walking again John John put Bede to work in the hopes of refining his competitive strategy, and their project worked pretty darn well. Florence captured his first World Title and the Triple Crown.
Bede Durbidge - WSL / Sean Rowland
But this year Bede is back...and in a big way. Durbidge lit Trestles up on Wednesday with an impressive win over rookie Joan Duru. The big Australian is ranked No. 22 on the Jeep Leaderboard, and while he's not worried about requalifying (he's retiring at the end of the season) there's some pride at stake on this, his farewell to Trestles.
John John, of course, absorbed Bede's lessons well...maybe a bit too well for Bede's liking today, because he showed absolutely no mercy for his buddy once the jersey was on. So Bede, ultimately, was a victim of his own success today.