Post by riderdown on Nov 8, 2011 14:06:42 GMT 10
The opening salvo of the “Nowra Baptist Church Heavy SCUM” category has been run and won by someone and this is how it panned out.
With a few months of build up the atmosphere was abuzz with anticipation as the Nowra Baptist guys set up for the stampede of big guns for Heavy SCUM. They quickly turned two jelly beans and half a bidon of water into enough lollies and red bull to ensure that the “calorie neutral” policy was adhered too.
With Lewy riding and eating his way from Sydney to Wollongong and Matt “the Big” Kidd nursing a damaged shoulder I was confident of taking the cake as I weighed in at a poultry 15.5 stone. The heat had drawn out all the whippets but big units where light on so the call was made to open it up to the light heavy weights which drew in two serious contenders in Pat “I’m back and not so fat” Pavlich and Tippo, who raced in denim which the lycra wearers could only dream of doing.
On the start line we three big guns settled in at the back but as it turned out we went off before the juniors so heavy SCUMmers moved past the juniors like they were standing still (which they were), a similar interaction took place again shortly after the start between these two groups of riders!
Once the start was called all three combatants settled in with Pat leading Tippo and myself marking them both. I was happy with this as I knew with an extra half a stone I needed only to mark the light heavies to take the cake. The shear presence of the massive peloton of three was starting to have an effect on the race with the normally silky smooth and unflappable Alan Jones being intimidated by the 300kg plus train behind him and he moved aside to let us battle it out. Not long after Pavlich made his move with a couple of slick passing moves, he was clearly hungry for a win and Chelsea bun.
I continued to mark Tippo as the juniors descended. You could sort of here the wee things coming and then you get the call “Track when you’re ready” so I moved over when I found a nice wide area to park the heavy rig to let the wee one through. As one went past I then got another call “one more” followed by “one more” then “one more”, “one more”, “one more” ect. ect.. I have to hand it to the young fellas they are fast but they can’t count, “20 more” would have been a more accurate call as they fizzed off into the distance.
I had lost Pat and Tippo by this stage and decided to settle into a good race rhythm, think “rock a bye baby”, and decided to look to nail the second lap. Second lap comes and I start to work a bit harder but whilst still in Kashmir I lose some air from my rear tyre which is setup tubeless, I make a call and right off lap two and put all my efforts into the final lap.
With a firmer rear I pooter the rest of the second lap chatting with some new comers but as I pass through timing I take a quick glance over to the Heavy SCUM set up and am inspired to fight on by the Chelsea Bun that seems to say to me “You can do it Matty”. I gritted my teeth and pushed my soft body hard for at least a third of a lap but will it be enough! Has my strategy and extra weight paid dividends, will I be the first Heavy SCUM hero or will the light heavies come through to take the bun (which I have already eaten).
Cheers
Matt
With a few months of build up the atmosphere was abuzz with anticipation as the Nowra Baptist guys set up for the stampede of big guns for Heavy SCUM. They quickly turned two jelly beans and half a bidon of water into enough lollies and red bull to ensure that the “calorie neutral” policy was adhered too.
With Lewy riding and eating his way from Sydney to Wollongong and Matt “the Big” Kidd nursing a damaged shoulder I was confident of taking the cake as I weighed in at a poultry 15.5 stone. The heat had drawn out all the whippets but big units where light on so the call was made to open it up to the light heavy weights which drew in two serious contenders in Pat “I’m back and not so fat” Pavlich and Tippo, who raced in denim which the lycra wearers could only dream of doing.
On the start line we three big guns settled in at the back but as it turned out we went off before the juniors so heavy SCUMmers moved past the juniors like they were standing still (which they were), a similar interaction took place again shortly after the start between these two groups of riders!
Once the start was called all three combatants settled in with Pat leading Tippo and myself marking them both. I was happy with this as I knew with an extra half a stone I needed only to mark the light heavies to take the cake. The shear presence of the massive peloton of three was starting to have an effect on the race with the normally silky smooth and unflappable Alan Jones being intimidated by the 300kg plus train behind him and he moved aside to let us battle it out. Not long after Pavlich made his move with a couple of slick passing moves, he was clearly hungry for a win and Chelsea bun.
I continued to mark Tippo as the juniors descended. You could sort of here the wee things coming and then you get the call “Track when you’re ready” so I moved over when I found a nice wide area to park the heavy rig to let the wee one through. As one went past I then got another call “one more” followed by “one more” then “one more”, “one more”, “one more” ect. ect.. I have to hand it to the young fellas they are fast but they can’t count, “20 more” would have been a more accurate call as they fizzed off into the distance.
I had lost Pat and Tippo by this stage and decided to settle into a good race rhythm, think “rock a bye baby”, and decided to look to nail the second lap. Second lap comes and I start to work a bit harder but whilst still in Kashmir I lose some air from my rear tyre which is setup tubeless, I make a call and right off lap two and put all my efforts into the final lap.
With a firmer rear I pooter the rest of the second lap chatting with some new comers but as I pass through timing I take a quick glance over to the Heavy SCUM set up and am inspired to fight on by the Chelsea Bun that seems to say to me “You can do it Matty”. I gritted my teeth and pushed my soft body hard for at least a third of a lap but will it be enough! Has my strategy and extra weight paid dividends, will I be the first Heavy SCUM hero or will the light heavies come through to take the bun (which I have already eaten).
Cheers
Matt
