Batam Six Bridges Provide Platform for More Success
The third round in the popular 2014 Cycoports Series, the Tour de Barelang (aka Batam Six Bridges) saw another successful day for the Specialized Mavericks with three podiums out of three races. Here's how the action unfolded from our eyes.
Cat 1
After the Bintan Lagoon Classic domination this race was always going to be harder as in addition to the usual Cannasia and Joyriders suspects, Team DirectAsia had sent a bigger/stronger squad and there was the presence of a quartet of Indonesian pros, all with very impressive palmarès. While big threats on paper, the Mavericks were looking forward to the challenge over what promised to be a hot and hilly 133km parcours.
The Mavs had decided to forgo their usual "attack attack attack" tactic, instead opting to follow moves until the last quarter of the race. This worked well early doors with a succession of the Specialized lads getting in the first few breaks, allowing the rest of the team to sit in the bunch either patrolling the front or completely hiding at the back.
Cat 1
After the Bintan Lagoon Classic domination this race was always going to be harder as in addition to the usual Cannasia and Joyriders suspects, Team DirectAsia had sent a bigger/stronger squad and there was the presence of a quartet of Indonesian pros, all with very impressive palmarès. While big threats on paper, the Mavericks were looking forward to the challenge over what promised to be a hot and hilly 133km parcours.
The Mavs had decided to forgo their usual "attack attack attack" tactic, instead opting to follow moves until the last quarter of the race. This worked well early doors with a succession of the Specialized lads getting in the first few breaks, allowing the rest of the team to sit in the bunch either patrolling the front or completely hiding at the back.
One of those who perhaps should have been hiding in the back was the ProMelon, but he found himself in the right (or was that wrong?) place at the right time and before he knew it he was off the front with the powerful duo of Mark Cook (TDA) and Heksa Priya Prasetia (Hang Nadim CC), a former Tour de Bintan champ.
Facing a headwind just to get to the u-turn some 30km away, never mind the 55km from there to the finish, it was always going to be tough for the trio, but undeterred they knuckled down and were quickly out of sight. Their escape was no doubt helped by a completely ineffectual chase as the other teams wouldn't/couldn't organise themselves.
It really didn't feel like a hard race for most of the Mavs and with a tailwind beckoning at the u-turn, things were looking promising.
Facing a headwind just to get to the u-turn some 30km away, never mind the 55km from there to the finish, it was always going to be tough for the trio, but undeterred they knuckled down and were quickly out of sight. Their escape was no doubt helped by a completely ineffectual chase as the other teams wouldn't/couldn't organise themselves.
It really didn't feel like a hard race for most of the Mavs and with a tailwind beckoning at the u-turn, things were looking promising.
The turn for home back to the Six Bridges came as the road to literally nowhere ended at a tiny dirt roundabout. The peloton had passed the leaders as they approached the turn and with the gap calculated at just 80 seconds, it was odds on that they'd be reeled in eventually. With a man up ahead, the Mavs could continue their waiting game … or so they thought. Suddenly a single red-clad figure was spotted in the distance. The Batam Curse which had afflicted the ProMelon in 2013 was still haunting the Tour of Friendship green jersey winner and so the Mavs had no choice but to chase.
So what had seemed almost like a Sunday morning coffee shop ride had turned in a flash to thrashfest. The break was caught but from then on it was non-stop attacks from the Hang Nadim boys and with the terrain now at its hilliest, and the sun dishing out its mid-morning worst, a stream of riders were jettisoned ruthlessly out the back, including a few of the Mavs.
So what had seemed almost like a Sunday morning coffee shop ride had turned in a flash to thrashfest. The break was caught but from then on it was non-stop attacks from the Hang Nadim boys and with the terrain now at its hilliest, and the sun dishing out its mid-morning worst, a stream of riders were jettisoned ruthlessly out the back, including a few of the Mavs.
The biggest damage was done on a double-stepped monster. The Mavs weren't the only ones to lose numbers, but ominously, the Indonesians still had three in the 20-strong bunch. They kept up their attacks and with 20km to go it was the Nongsa Challenge champ Endra's turn to fire ahead, with only the Pixie managing to latch onto his wheel. Endra pushed a relentless pace helped by his ever-present support vehicle dishing out refreshments, and eventually broke free of the young American.
The Mavericks were now committed to the chase again with Pixie back in the pack, and so surely it wouldn't be long before the solo Endra was reeled in? He was rarely out of sight but as the kilometres clicked down, the gap just didn't seem to be going down, if anything he was pulling away.
The Mavericks were now committed to the chase again with Pixie back in the pack, and so surely it wouldn't be long before the solo Endra was reeled in? He was rarely out of sight but as the kilometres clicked down, the gap just didn't seem to be going down, if anything he was pulling away.
While it wasn't the most organised of pursuits, some huge pulls were put in by Mavs and non-Mavs alike, but it was ultimately a fruitless chase. Endra unbelievably stayed away and span up the Barelang Bridge to enjoy a famous victory, with his winning margin was a full 18 seconds! Hats off.
With six Mavericks still present in the bunch, the podium places and team prize were still up for grabs and when the road sloped up four of the Mavs burst forward in a group of some 10 going for the minor honours. The man-boy Pixie had obviously recovered from his effort chasing Endra as he pushed hardest for the line, but alas he was thwarted by young Noel Teh, who beat him by half a bike length. Still, third place was good, and with Gump, Walnut and //r right behind in fifth, sixth, and seventh, the team prize was secured again. Ironically, the 19-year-old Teh had spent the previous few weeks training with the Mavs!
With six Mavericks still present in the bunch, the podium places and team prize were still up for grabs and when the road sloped up four of the Mavs burst forward in a group of some 10 going for the minor honours. The man-boy Pixie had obviously recovered from his effort chasing Endra as he pushed hardest for the line, but alas he was thwarted by young Noel Teh, who beat him by half a bike length. Still, third place was good, and with Gump, Walnut and //r right behind in fifth, sixth, and seventh, the team prize was secured again. Ironically, the 19-year-old Teh had spent the previous few weeks training with the Mavs!
The Cat 1 boys in Batam were: Jimmy Guardino (Pixie), Nate Faulkenberry (Gump), Youcef Cummings (Walnut), Bastian Dohling (//r), Alan Grant (Rambu), Ben Arnott (TimTam), Yi Peng Teoh (Fishy), Chris Nyonyintono (ProMelon) and Nick Swallow (Pigeon)
Cat 2
Having finally broken their Cycosports duck with a win in the Bintan Lagoon Classic through Captain Oldish, the Cat 2 Mavs were confident of repeating that success. Among their eight-man squad was the carnivorous Waxo, a last-minute replacement for Biggish who'd somehow managed to get himself hospitalised due to a wee cut in his pinkie! Waxo, who does most of his riding indoors on a glorified spin bike and so not even certain to be able to go the distance, was told to sit in, do nothing and save his mighty watts in case needed at the end. The rest of the boys were free to shake things up and create breaks.
There wasn't much action to begin with, but about 50km in, a group of five including Oldish and AmeZ finally managed to break the elastic. When three more riders bridged across, including the small horse Pony, this move definitely had potential, even if there was still 80km to go. Alas with three Mavs present, others in the group understandably but frustratingly didn't want to work and so it was eventually brought back by an eager peloton.
Cat 2
Having finally broken their Cycosports duck with a win in the Bintan Lagoon Classic through Captain Oldish, the Cat 2 Mavs were confident of repeating that success. Among their eight-man squad was the carnivorous Waxo, a last-minute replacement for Biggish who'd somehow managed to get himself hospitalised due to a wee cut in his pinkie! Waxo, who does most of his riding indoors on a glorified spin bike and so not even certain to be able to go the distance, was told to sit in, do nothing and save his mighty watts in case needed at the end. The rest of the boys were free to shake things up and create breaks.
There wasn't much action to begin with, but about 50km in, a group of five including Oldish and AmeZ finally managed to break the elastic. When three more riders bridged across, including the small horse Pony, this move definitely had potential, even if there was still 80km to go. Alas with three Mavs present, others in the group understandably but frustratingly didn't want to work and so it was eventually brought back by an eager peloton.
Cue more attacks and again the Mavs featured in the next significant move, with that man AmeZ (he loves a breakaway does AmeZ) being joined by Beatros in a group of five. With an Anza and a Joyrider also present, this in theory could have gone all the way, but a lack of water support on a super hot morning contributed to the group being reduced to four, then three, and eventually after 20km worth of effort, it too was brought back by another well-organised chase.
Off course with two in the break, the rest of the Mavs were getting a relatively free ride and so were primed to go again. It was Oldish who refired his rockets first with 30km remaining, taking four assorted riders with him. This quintet stayed out front for a while too, but once again it became a war of attrition with only two of the group able to stay and work with the Mavs skipper. With the peloton seemingly committed to a bunch sprint, O and Co and were reeled in with 10km to go.
Off course with two in the break, the rest of the Mavs were getting a relatively free ride and so were primed to go again. It was Oldish who refired his rockets first with 30km remaining, taking four assorted riders with him. This quintet stayed out front for a while too, but once again it became a war of attrition with only two of the group able to stay and work with the Mavs skipper. With the peloton seemingly committed to a bunch sprint, O and Co and were reeled in with 10km to go.
The Mavs didn't stop trying, with first Pony sticking in a few stingers and then AmeZ tried his luck again with 5km to go. Still clear with the Barelang Bridge in sight, he started dreaming but it all came together again. Enter the bold Fiddler. The reigning Mavs co-Hardman of the Year worked tirelessly all day either on the front or going back for bottles. He suffered so much that he threw up on the bike at least three times, yet there he was showing the mental toughness he's famous for leading the charge with 1km to go. His awareness opened up the right hand side of the road for Oldish to drag Waxo forward, from where, fresh as daisy he unlaunched his trademark fierce sprint. Waxo left his rivals standing, allowing him to cross the line for what "was the easiest win I've ever had. Armchair ride to 300 metres The boys did a superb job."
With Pony and Oldish finishing seventh and eighth respectively, that was enough for the Cat 2 boys to take their team prize, finishing off another good day for the Mav men. The full Cat 2 squad was David Wilkins (Waxo), Matt Lodge (Pony), Richard Paine (Oldish), Stephen Ames (AmeZ), Conan Hales (Beatros), Adriano Niro (Fiddler), Jody Chapman (Susan) and Alan Soh (Chimp).
With Pony and Oldish finishing seventh and eighth respectively, that was enough for the Cat 2 boys to take their team prize, finishing off another good day for the Mav men. The full Cat 2 squad was David Wilkins (Waxo), Matt Lodge (Pony), Richard Paine (Oldish), Stephen Ames (AmeZ), Conan Hales (Beatros), Adriano Niro (Fiddler), Jody Chapman (Susan) and Alan Soh (Chimp).
Princess take second (with Cat 3 man in the middle)
Mavettes
Princess and Bounce (the Sarahs Doyle and Clark) were once again stuck with the Cat 3 men as there just aren't enough women entering these Cycosports races to logistically justify a separate peloton. After complaints of male riders helping their female clubmates in some of the earlier Cycosports races, an appeal was made by the organisers at the Bintan Lagoon Classic to let the ladies race unhindered. It sort of worked there but for the Tour of Barelang the Cat 3 men seemed to go to the other extreme as the women were left doing most of the work for huge chunks of the race. Not that that caused any trouble for the small but strong group of ladies, however, the Princess wasn't happy: "I was even on the front which is crazy, I never do that!"
Maybe the front was the best place to be anyway as the race was marred by quite a few crashes (an affliction incidentally that also befell the Cat 2 contest). But the women most avoided the trouble and enjoyed being able to focus on each other. After 130km of hard racing it came down to a sprint on the bridge and nine were still in contention. Nina Puspawardhani from the local Hang Nadim CC team led them out followed by SJ Fraser, Aiyanne Currie from Anza and then the Mavettes. Princess played it almost perfectly, waiting, waiting until she launched just before the line, catching them all except for Puspawardhani who had the goods to back up her early push for the line and win by a few bike lengths. Still, a close second was a great way to bow out for our young Irish lass who's soon swapping the heat, humidity and flatlands of Singapore … for the heat, humidity and flatlands of Houston, Texas!
Bounce finished just off the podium in fourth but she's making great strides with every race and her time for glory will surely come soon.
The Great Flood of Batam
Post-race, the Mavs had located a roadside beer vendor who was making a killing, and a sumptuous feed of rice, noodles and assorted other stuff was being scoffed down under four big canopies Cycosports had hired to protect the competitors from the sun. Alas, the tentage was no match for the mother of all storms that swept in just before prize-presentation was due to start. With the stage blown away there was nothing for it but to head back to the ferry port and await the chartered ferries. The cafes, restaurants and shops never had such a good day as the Mavs and their fellow 200+ cyclists merrily polished off everything in sight.
The awards ceremony did go ahead a week later at Athlete Lab in Singapore where the highlight of the afternoon was undoubtedly Waxo and his red podium shorts … or are they better described as hot pants? Decide for yourselves below. That he was there at all to collect his prize was probably only due to the drugs he'd been prescribed at Gleneagles after he busted his shoulder badly that morning while demonstrating the skill of hard landing he'd learned as an army paratrooper.
As the 2014 Cycosports Series heads to its penultimate stop at the Pasir Gudang Race Track in JB for a circuit race on August 10, the Mavericks are looking good in the overall picture. Both the Cat 1 and Cat 2 squads have tidy leads in the team standings and in the age group league tables, Pixie heads the youngsters division, //r tops the 30-39 cat, Walnut is prevailing among the 40-49 year-olds, and grand master Oldish leads in the 50+ class.
The Specialized Mavericks would like to thank Cycosports for putting on another great event, without them we'd have hardly any "local" action this year. Kudos too for sourcing sponsors with deep pockets, on this occasion the Batam Tourist Board; the Mavs came away with an incredible 30 million rupiah (about S$3,000) from the Tour de Barelang and so were more than happy to donate some of that back to the local Batam charity that Cycosports supports, the Citramas Foundation.
Princess and Bounce (the Sarahs Doyle and Clark) were once again stuck with the Cat 3 men as there just aren't enough women entering these Cycosports races to logistically justify a separate peloton. After complaints of male riders helping their female clubmates in some of the earlier Cycosports races, an appeal was made by the organisers at the Bintan Lagoon Classic to let the ladies race unhindered. It sort of worked there but for the Tour of Barelang the Cat 3 men seemed to go to the other extreme as the women were left doing most of the work for huge chunks of the race. Not that that caused any trouble for the small but strong group of ladies, however, the Princess wasn't happy: "I was even on the front which is crazy, I never do that!"
Maybe the front was the best place to be anyway as the race was marred by quite a few crashes (an affliction incidentally that also befell the Cat 2 contest). But the women most avoided the trouble and enjoyed being able to focus on each other. After 130km of hard racing it came down to a sprint on the bridge and nine were still in contention. Nina Puspawardhani from the local Hang Nadim CC team led them out followed by SJ Fraser, Aiyanne Currie from Anza and then the Mavettes. Princess played it almost perfectly, waiting, waiting until she launched just before the line, catching them all except for Puspawardhani who had the goods to back up her early push for the line and win by a few bike lengths. Still, a close second was a great way to bow out for our young Irish lass who's soon swapping the heat, humidity and flatlands of Singapore … for the heat, humidity and flatlands of Houston, Texas!
Bounce finished just off the podium in fourth but she's making great strides with every race and her time for glory will surely come soon.
The Great Flood of Batam
Post-race, the Mavs had located a roadside beer vendor who was making a killing, and a sumptuous feed of rice, noodles and assorted other stuff was being scoffed down under four big canopies Cycosports had hired to protect the competitors from the sun. Alas, the tentage was no match for the mother of all storms that swept in just before prize-presentation was due to start. With the stage blown away there was nothing for it but to head back to the ferry port and await the chartered ferries. The cafes, restaurants and shops never had such a good day as the Mavs and their fellow 200+ cyclists merrily polished off everything in sight.
The awards ceremony did go ahead a week later at Athlete Lab in Singapore where the highlight of the afternoon was undoubtedly Waxo and his red podium shorts … or are they better described as hot pants? Decide for yourselves below. That he was there at all to collect his prize was probably only due to the drugs he'd been prescribed at Gleneagles after he busted his shoulder badly that morning while demonstrating the skill of hard landing he'd learned as an army paratrooper.
As the 2014 Cycosports Series heads to its penultimate stop at the Pasir Gudang Race Track in JB for a circuit race on August 10, the Mavericks are looking good in the overall picture. Both the Cat 1 and Cat 2 squads have tidy leads in the team standings and in the age group league tables, Pixie heads the youngsters division, //r tops the 30-39 cat, Walnut is prevailing among the 40-49 year-olds, and grand master Oldish leads in the 50+ class.
The Specialized Mavericks would like to thank Cycosports for putting on another great event, without them we'd have hardly any "local" action this year. Kudos too for sourcing sponsors with deep pockets, on this occasion the Batam Tourist Board; the Mavs came away with an incredible 30 million rupiah (about S$3,000) from the Tour de Barelang and so were more than happy to donate some of that back to the local Batam charity that Cycosports supports, the Citramas Foundation.
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(Additional photos courtesy of Cycosports and SlowPoke Studio)