Wonder women ... Veronica, Grace, Sarah and Serene
Ladies lead the way for Specialized Mavericks at 2014 Tour de Bintan
Diggler battles the wet but shields a teammate behind
The Specialized Mavericks went to the 2014 Tour de Bintan with high expectations, and while they just fell short of their ultimate goal of winning the elite men's title, four stage wins across the categories and the women's overall crown for Grace Phang made it a highly successful campaign.
Staged on the Indonesian island for which its named, the Tour de Bintan attracts a high level field of Asia's top amateur cyclists, as well as a smattering of pros, making the Cat 1 contest possibly the toughest race the Mavs face each year. Nine of the 21 Mavs who made the short trip from Singapore were entered in the elite race, with the intention of working to get Bastian "//r" Dohling into the final yellow jersey.
Cat 1 – the Crit
The 2014 race opened with a criterium replacing the prologue ITT of the last two years, a change which didn't favour the strong time trailer //r, but the Mavs had faith in other weapons for the crit, in the shape of Noel "Diggler" Teh and Jimmy "Pixie" Guardino. Alas, a huge storm hit the circuit in the provincial capital Tanjung Pinang shortly after the 5pm start of the race and the track soon became treacherous, with flooding in some parts and a rapidly descending dusk. The commissaires took the decision to shorten the race on safety grounds, but not before a daring attack from pre-race favourite Tjarco Cuppens from the Lapierre Asia team. Only Endra Wijawa (Customs Cycling Team) could follow the Dutchman and the pair coped with the treacherous conditions better than everybody else and made their early thrust stick, with Cuppens taking the win from the Indonesian. Most of the Mavs, including //r, followed safely in the pack, but with Cuppens now 23 seconds ahead going into Stage 1 proper, the Cat 1 boys knew they had their work cut out.
Staged on the Indonesian island for which its named, the Tour de Bintan attracts a high level field of Asia's top amateur cyclists, as well as a smattering of pros, making the Cat 1 contest possibly the toughest race the Mavs face each year. Nine of the 21 Mavs who made the short trip from Singapore were entered in the elite race, with the intention of working to get Bastian "//r" Dohling into the final yellow jersey.
Cat 1 – the Crit
The 2014 race opened with a criterium replacing the prologue ITT of the last two years, a change which didn't favour the strong time trailer //r, but the Mavs had faith in other weapons for the crit, in the shape of Noel "Diggler" Teh and Jimmy "Pixie" Guardino. Alas, a huge storm hit the circuit in the provincial capital Tanjung Pinang shortly after the 5pm start of the race and the track soon became treacherous, with flooding in some parts and a rapidly descending dusk. The commissaires took the decision to shorten the race on safety grounds, but not before a daring attack from pre-race favourite Tjarco Cuppens from the Lapierre Asia team. Only Endra Wijawa (Customs Cycling Team) could follow the Dutchman and the pair coped with the treacherous conditions better than everybody else and made their early thrust stick, with Cuppens taking the win from the Indonesian. Most of the Mavs, including //r, followed safely in the pack, but with Cuppens now 23 seconds ahead going into Stage 1 proper, the Cat 1 boys knew they had their work cut out.
Herr //r being pipped on the line for the Stage 1 win
Cat 1 – Stage 1
They had a plan, though, the crux of which was to react to but not necessarily force all the attacks in the first half of the race. While Nick "Pigeon" Swallow, Alan "Rambu" Grant and Ben "TimTam" Arnott made a few forays out front, the majority of the Mavs tried to keep themselves fresh for the last third of the race, which was where the team would try to get //r away in a break. Diggler did make a play for the first Sprint Ace points at 42km but was narrowly beaten by Michael Maiers of DirectAsia.com.
After the previous day's downpour and going on previous editions of the Tour de Bintan, rain was expected at some point during the 150km of racing, but the sky stayed bright and blue, and so the sun became a major player in the stakes. Coupled with a fast pace and the relentless rolling hills, there were many tired legs in the peloton when the second Sprint Ace point approached at the 108km mark. Diggler had hoped to take advantage of that and grab some more points toward the green jersey goal, but the unlikely recipient of the 15 points was TimTam, who had been out front on one of his trademark long breakaways.
The conclusion of that second sprint was the signal for the Mavs to put their attack plan into action and it was //r who made the decisive move. Spotting Fan Hsin Chu of Specialized China alone off the front, //r took advantage of a lull in the main bunch to fire forward to join the Taiwanese rider. Amazingly the peloton didn't, or perhaps couldn't react, but one man did, Ayub Kathurima of the Kenyan Riders. After bridging across to join //r and Fan, the trio were soon out of sight. Perhaps a factor in the lack of reaction from the bunch was the lack of water support for the next 15km or so, as tired legs and parched mouths took their toll. Even the yellow jersey seemed to be struggling, hanging at the back of the pack.
Maybe that was simply a ruse, as with some 25km to go, Cuppens shot forward with such intensity that barely a handful of riders could go with him. Luckily for the Mavs, Pixie was one of them. With most of the big teams now represented in the first two groups, the pace in the peloton finally eased up a bit, much to the relief of many weary souls. The Mavs left in the bunch were of the consensus that //r and Co would get caught, but with Pixie being a sprinter, all was not lost.
But //r, Kathurima and Fan were made of strong stuff and they recognised early on in their breakaway that they needed to keep the pace very high. With Fan feigning fatigue, //r and Kathurima did most of the work and when it became clear that they would hold off the Cuppens-led charge, it was fittingly just those two who contested the battle for the win. Despite not being known for his sprint, //r had a good go opening up early as the road swept downhill into the long finishing straight, but the Kenyan was too strong and took the win by a bike length, with Fan in third. The chase group came in 40 seconds behind.
The GC picture saw //r and Fan both five seconds back from Kathurima, with Cuppens not out of it at 23 seconds.
They had a plan, though, the crux of which was to react to but not necessarily force all the attacks in the first half of the race. While Nick "Pigeon" Swallow, Alan "Rambu" Grant and Ben "TimTam" Arnott made a few forays out front, the majority of the Mavs tried to keep themselves fresh for the last third of the race, which was where the team would try to get //r away in a break. Diggler did make a play for the first Sprint Ace points at 42km but was narrowly beaten by Michael Maiers of DirectAsia.com.
After the previous day's downpour and going on previous editions of the Tour de Bintan, rain was expected at some point during the 150km of racing, but the sky stayed bright and blue, and so the sun became a major player in the stakes. Coupled with a fast pace and the relentless rolling hills, there were many tired legs in the peloton when the second Sprint Ace point approached at the 108km mark. Diggler had hoped to take advantage of that and grab some more points toward the green jersey goal, but the unlikely recipient of the 15 points was TimTam, who had been out front on one of his trademark long breakaways.
The conclusion of that second sprint was the signal for the Mavs to put their attack plan into action and it was //r who made the decisive move. Spotting Fan Hsin Chu of Specialized China alone off the front, //r took advantage of a lull in the main bunch to fire forward to join the Taiwanese rider. Amazingly the peloton didn't, or perhaps couldn't react, but one man did, Ayub Kathurima of the Kenyan Riders. After bridging across to join //r and Fan, the trio were soon out of sight. Perhaps a factor in the lack of reaction from the bunch was the lack of water support for the next 15km or so, as tired legs and parched mouths took their toll. Even the yellow jersey seemed to be struggling, hanging at the back of the pack.
Maybe that was simply a ruse, as with some 25km to go, Cuppens shot forward with such intensity that barely a handful of riders could go with him. Luckily for the Mavs, Pixie was one of them. With most of the big teams now represented in the first two groups, the pace in the peloton finally eased up a bit, much to the relief of many weary souls. The Mavs left in the bunch were of the consensus that //r and Co would get caught, but with Pixie being a sprinter, all was not lost.
But //r, Kathurima and Fan were made of strong stuff and they recognised early on in their breakaway that they needed to keep the pace very high. With Fan feigning fatigue, //r and Kathurima did most of the work and when it became clear that they would hold off the Cuppens-led charge, it was fittingly just those two who contested the battle for the win. Despite not being known for his sprint, //r had a good go opening up early as the road swept downhill into the long finishing straight, but the Kenyan was too strong and took the win by a bike length, with Fan in third. The chase group came in 40 seconds behind.
The GC picture saw //r and Fan both five seconds back from Kathurima, with Cuppens not out of it at 23 seconds.
//r settles for third on the final GC podium
Cat 1 – Stage 2
The final battle featured a 107km blast starting and finishing at Nirwana Gardens via a loop around the northwestern section of the island. Obviously the way to yellow for the Mavs now relied on making the small Kenyan Riders squad work extra hard and hopefully expose Kathurima. Luckily the other teams saw it that way too as the attacks came early and never stopped. The yellow jersey lost one of his doms early on, but the other two did a superb job, chasing down every single attack.
Assuming no early break got away, the Mavs master plan was to take //r half way up the final KOM with 8km to go, from where he'd strike for home. But when that point came he only had four Mavs left in support, punctures for key men Yi Peng "Fishmonger" Teoh and Youcef "Walnut" Cummings being among the factors on what was another roasting hot morning. Still the Mavs leader stuck to the plan, attacking both on the slope and on the following descent, but Kathurima and the 25-strong peloton had no intention of letting him get away.
Then disaster struck just 6km from the line when Rambu and TimTam both reacted to a move by Infinite's Takai. The two Mavs came together with TimTam coming off worst and hitting the deck. A few bruises and scrapes aside, he was fine, and eventually crossed the line safely, but perhaps if TimTam had still still been there to help, //r might have pulled off the miracle required to take yellow. Alas, it wasn't to be for the East German on the day as he faded on the final slope to the finish. Pixie, though, still had strong legs and he tried to salvage something from the stage when he shot out of the bunch in pursuit of Customs Cycling's Erik Suprianto, who had made a perfectly timed jump in the finale. Pixie closed down on Suprianto as the line beckoned, but so did the Cuppens-led bunch and the Mav was swamped just before the line.
Suprianto held on for the stage win, but the biggest glory went to Kathurima and the Kenyans as they had safely negotiated a very tough day and deservedly took the title. For the final GC, //r was edged out by Fan for the runners-up spot on the countback rule, but third place was one place better than 2013 for the Mav and surely his time will come in this race. Pixie's strong performance over the weekend also saw him in the money for his seventh place finish.
The Cat 1 Mavs also took the team prize, which was awarded on the basis of combining the times of each team's three best riders from each stage. Having narrowly missed out on that honour in 2013, it was a nice consolation prize for the team.
The final battle featured a 107km blast starting and finishing at Nirwana Gardens via a loop around the northwestern section of the island. Obviously the way to yellow for the Mavs now relied on making the small Kenyan Riders squad work extra hard and hopefully expose Kathurima. Luckily the other teams saw it that way too as the attacks came early and never stopped. The yellow jersey lost one of his doms early on, but the other two did a superb job, chasing down every single attack.
Assuming no early break got away, the Mavs master plan was to take //r half way up the final KOM with 8km to go, from where he'd strike for home. But when that point came he only had four Mavs left in support, punctures for key men Yi Peng "Fishmonger" Teoh and Youcef "Walnut" Cummings being among the factors on what was another roasting hot morning. Still the Mavs leader stuck to the plan, attacking both on the slope and on the following descent, but Kathurima and the 25-strong peloton had no intention of letting him get away.
Then disaster struck just 6km from the line when Rambu and TimTam both reacted to a move by Infinite's Takai. The two Mavs came together with TimTam coming off worst and hitting the deck. A few bruises and scrapes aside, he was fine, and eventually crossed the line safely, but perhaps if TimTam had still still been there to help, //r might have pulled off the miracle required to take yellow. Alas, it wasn't to be for the East German on the day as he faded on the final slope to the finish. Pixie, though, still had strong legs and he tried to salvage something from the stage when he shot out of the bunch in pursuit of Customs Cycling's Erik Suprianto, who had made a perfectly timed jump in the finale. Pixie closed down on Suprianto as the line beckoned, but so did the Cuppens-led bunch and the Mav was swamped just before the line.
Suprianto held on for the stage win, but the biggest glory went to Kathurima and the Kenyans as they had safely negotiated a very tough day and deservedly took the title. For the final GC, //r was edged out by Fan for the runners-up spot on the countback rule, but third place was one place better than 2013 for the Mav and surely his time will come in this race. Pixie's strong performance over the weekend also saw him in the money for his seventh place finish.
The Cat 1 Mavs also took the team prize, which was awarded on the basis of combining the times of each team's three best riders from each stage. Having narrowly missed out on that honour in 2013, it was a nice consolation prize for the team.
Grace tracks SJ up one of the Crit's hills
Women's race – the Crit
While the race ended up gloriously for the Mavettes, it started with disaster when Serene Lee's bike was one of several not to make it over to Tanjung Pinang in time for the start of the crit. Still, Sarah Clark and Mavs debutants Veronica Deffner and Grace Phang were confident of doing well despite the loss of their leader. Pre-race, the biggest threat to the Mav girls was no doubt Sarah-Jeanne Fraser of Eddie Hollands Bike Services, and it was SJ who forced the decisive move of the day when she broke away early in the race, with only Phang able to follow her.
The pair worked well together and it looked set to be a two-horse race for yellow, with Clark and Deffner doing a great job of disrupting any cohesive chase. But two other ladies emerged from the bunch, uber-triathlete Kathyrn Haesner and Kari Nore of Anza Cycling, and despite a huge initial gap, kept plugging away until they finally made contact on the last lap.
SJ and Phang didn't panic, though, and outsprinted their exhausted pursuers, with the line honours going to the Aussie SJ. The leading quarter finished two minutes ahead of the peloton, so it looked like a four-horse race for the title already. But strange things can and often do happen in cycling.
While the race ended up gloriously for the Mavettes, it started with disaster when Serene Lee's bike was one of several not to make it over to Tanjung Pinang in time for the start of the crit. Still, Sarah Clark and Mavs debutants Veronica Deffner and Grace Phang were confident of doing well despite the loss of their leader. Pre-race, the biggest threat to the Mav girls was no doubt Sarah-Jeanne Fraser of Eddie Hollands Bike Services, and it was SJ who forced the decisive move of the day when she broke away early in the race, with only Phang able to follow her.
The pair worked well together and it looked set to be a two-horse race for yellow, with Clark and Deffner doing a great job of disrupting any cohesive chase. But two other ladies emerged from the bunch, uber-triathlete Kathyrn Haesner and Kari Nore of Anza Cycling, and despite a huge initial gap, kept plugging away until they finally made contact on the last lap.
SJ and Phang didn't panic, though, and outsprinted their exhausted pursuers, with the line honours going to the Aussie SJ. The leading quarter finished two minutes ahead of the peloton, so it looked like a four-horse race for the title already. But strange things can and often do happen in cycling.
All smiles as the Mav girls go 1, 2
Women's race – Stage 1
The Women faced a shorter course at 135km, but most of the hills and all of the heat were still present on their route. The Mavs squad was four-strong again with Lee given the peloton time from the crit by the race referee for the purposes of the GC. The aim was simple, get Grace into yellow, while Serene would target the Queen of the Mountains jersey. While SJ was a formidable opponent, she was team-less and the Mavettes hoped their numbers would give them an advantage.
The race started at a steady pace but as the speed edged up ahead of the first QOM point at 26km, Grace, riding in the green jersey, suffered a puncture at the start of the tough rolling section known as "the red road to hell". With the neutral wheel support nowhere to be seen, Sarah immediately and selflessly offered up her wheel and Grace was back in action, but she faced a long chase as the bunch was well up the road.
Serene duly took the first QOM points with a surge which split the peloton, but the pace eased a bit afterwards, which worked out perfectly for Grace, who used her renowned time-trialling skills to rejoin the front group on the flat coastal road after after the "red road" section.
Not long after, disaster struck for SJ when she cracked her seat post after hitting a rough hump on a bridge. Forced to continue without a saddle, the yellow jersey put in a valiant effort to stay with the leaders for some 30km, but her handicap finally proved too much and she had to drop back.
Due to SJ's misfortune, Grace was now the virtual race leader and the Mavettes knew a stage win would consolidate that lead thanks to the time bonuses on offer. With Serene still suffering the ill effects of a crash a few weeks before and Grace being hampered by cramps, they were happy to sit in the bunch and be alert for breakaway attempts, but there weren't that many of them thanks to the high pace Kath Haesner pushed at the front of the race for most of the day.
As the heat and hills took their toll, the peloton slowly dwindled in number until only 10 ladies remained as the race approached the finale. Showing their experience and strength, the Mavettes maneuvered themselves into the perfect position for the sprint and duly finished it off with a first and second for Grace and Serene, with Veronica not too far back in fifth. Thanks to those bonus points, Grace was now 20 seconds clear of Kari Nori and Haesner on GC, a good lead for her first day in the yellow jersey.
The Women faced a shorter course at 135km, but most of the hills and all of the heat were still present on their route. The Mavs squad was four-strong again with Lee given the peloton time from the crit by the race referee for the purposes of the GC. The aim was simple, get Grace into yellow, while Serene would target the Queen of the Mountains jersey. While SJ was a formidable opponent, she was team-less and the Mavettes hoped their numbers would give them an advantage.
The race started at a steady pace but as the speed edged up ahead of the first QOM point at 26km, Grace, riding in the green jersey, suffered a puncture at the start of the tough rolling section known as "the red road to hell". With the neutral wheel support nowhere to be seen, Sarah immediately and selflessly offered up her wheel and Grace was back in action, but she faced a long chase as the bunch was well up the road.
Serene duly took the first QOM points with a surge which split the peloton, but the pace eased a bit afterwards, which worked out perfectly for Grace, who used her renowned time-trialling skills to rejoin the front group on the flat coastal road after after the "red road" section.
Not long after, disaster struck for SJ when she cracked her seat post after hitting a rough hump on a bridge. Forced to continue without a saddle, the yellow jersey put in a valiant effort to stay with the leaders for some 30km, but her handicap finally proved too much and she had to drop back.
Due to SJ's misfortune, Grace was now the virtual race leader and the Mavettes knew a stage win would consolidate that lead thanks to the time bonuses on offer. With Serene still suffering the ill effects of a crash a few weeks before and Grace being hampered by cramps, they were happy to sit in the bunch and be alert for breakaway attempts, but there weren't that many of them thanks to the high pace Kath Haesner pushed at the front of the race for most of the day.
As the heat and hills took their toll, the peloton slowly dwindled in number until only 10 ladies remained as the race approached the finale. Showing their experience and strength, the Mavettes maneuvered themselves into the perfect position for the sprint and duly finished it off with a first and second for Grace and Serene, with Veronica not too far back in fifth. Thanks to those bonus points, Grace was now 20 seconds clear of Kari Nori and Haesner on GC, a good lead for her first day in the yellow jersey.
It doesn't get much better than winning in yellow
Women's Race – Stage 2
With the yellow and QOM jerseys to protect it was clearly going to be a spicy day for the Mav ladies. After rolling through the neutralised zone, Sarah rolled to the front and stayed there for most of the next 90km, tapping out a solid tempo to deter attacks, and even more impressively, upping the pace when required to snuff out any dangerous moves that did materialise. Another selfless day in the saddle for the lady known as Bounce, which allowed Grace and Serene a relatively easy day in the saddle.
Serene did exert herself a few times, noticeably at the first QOM, which was more of an incline than a hill. She positioned herself well and took the points, to secure her jersey.
The peloton rolled on, with several energetic attacks from Christina Liew and Team Cycledelic, accompanied by one of the Project 852 girls. But the Mavettes were always in control and the peloton stayed together as the field rolled through the undulating course.
While Sarah sat up front and Grace and Serene kept a close eye on their rivals, Veronica played a huge role as water girl for the day. In the hot and humid conditions that prevailed, that job is akin to a lifesaver, but despite not feeling as fresh as the day before, she somehow kept going back and forth to ensure that her three teammates' hydration needs were cared for.
SJ, who was clearly suffering from her tough day "out" of the saddle the day before, hid in the peloton all day in an uncharacteristic way, but still found strength to attack at the Ace Sprints to hold off attempts from Project 852 and Anza to steal her green jersey.
Sarah used the last of her energy to set up Serene to take a clean sweep on the last of the QOMs with 8km to go. The pace stayed high as the peloton fragmented over QOM, with some reattachment in the final kilometres going into the final sprint. Serene opened up long with 500m to go on the uphill sprint but didn't quite have the legs to go all the way to the line. But her charge worked out perfectly for Grace who timed her run perfectly to shoot out from the bunch to take her second consecutive win. Serene held on for third with SJ sandwiched in between the two Mavs.
The final GC saw Grace sit well clear of the rest thanks to an awesome all-round performance. With Serene's polka dot title and the team classification, it was a fantastic weekend's work for the mighty Mavettes.
With the yellow and QOM jerseys to protect it was clearly going to be a spicy day for the Mav ladies. After rolling through the neutralised zone, Sarah rolled to the front and stayed there for most of the next 90km, tapping out a solid tempo to deter attacks, and even more impressively, upping the pace when required to snuff out any dangerous moves that did materialise. Another selfless day in the saddle for the lady known as Bounce, which allowed Grace and Serene a relatively easy day in the saddle.
Serene did exert herself a few times, noticeably at the first QOM, which was more of an incline than a hill. She positioned herself well and took the points, to secure her jersey.
The peloton rolled on, with several energetic attacks from Christina Liew and Team Cycledelic, accompanied by one of the Project 852 girls. But the Mavettes were always in control and the peloton stayed together as the field rolled through the undulating course.
While Sarah sat up front and Grace and Serene kept a close eye on their rivals, Veronica played a huge role as water girl for the day. In the hot and humid conditions that prevailed, that job is akin to a lifesaver, but despite not feeling as fresh as the day before, she somehow kept going back and forth to ensure that her three teammates' hydration needs were cared for.
SJ, who was clearly suffering from her tough day "out" of the saddle the day before, hid in the peloton all day in an uncharacteristic way, but still found strength to attack at the Ace Sprints to hold off attempts from Project 852 and Anza to steal her green jersey.
Sarah used the last of her energy to set up Serene to take a clean sweep on the last of the QOMs with 8km to go. The pace stayed high as the peloton fragmented over QOM, with some reattachment in the final kilometres going into the final sprint. Serene opened up long with 500m to go on the uphill sprint but didn't quite have the legs to go all the way to the line. But her charge worked out perfectly for Grace who timed her run perfectly to shoot out from the bunch to take her second consecutive win. Serene held on for third with SJ sandwiched in between the two Mavs.
The final GC saw Grace sit well clear of the rest thanks to an awesome all-round performance. With Serene's polka dot title and the team classification, it was a fantastic weekend's work for the mighty Mavettes.
Is that it? Yes it is Waxo!
Cat 2 – the Crit
The Cat 2 Mavs made the strategic decision to enter the whole team eight-man team in Wave 2 and watch what happened in Wave 1. The plan was to maintain a highish pace on front but keep the Mavs together for the sprint ace and give Alan "Chimp" Soh a shot at going for the green jersey. Unfortunately due to a confusion with the lap boards the big fella mistimed the mid-point sprint prime and so the opportunity for an early green was missed.
Undeterred, the boys put their heads down and concentrated on the main goal, the stage win, with team captain Richard "Oldish" Paine and Matt "Pony" Lodge driving the pace on the power climbs each lap. With two and half laps to go David "Waxo" Wilkins played his card and attacked off the front and quickly had a 50-metre lead before anyone had really noticed. While Oldish unfortunately punctured on the penultimate lap, Waxo, the hardman of the Mavs, dug deep into his reserves of resolve and still had a decent-sized lead as the "bell" rang for the final lap. The peloton charged furiously on that last lap to bring Waxo in, but the Mav held them off by just three seconds … although he wasn't sure if he'd actually won, claiming not to have heard the bell. This resulted in the slightly comical scenario where he took his hands off the bars ready to give the traditional winning salute but then kept them by his side as he didn't want to look like a dick.
But he was the victor, and just in case he had been caught, Pony won the battle of the bunch. While the times across the two waves were equalized for GC purposes, Waxo donned the yellow jersey due to the second wave being much quicker than the first. With his 6 bonus seconds, Pony sat just behind Waxo going into Stage 1.
The Cat 2 Mavs made the strategic decision to enter the whole team eight-man team in Wave 2 and watch what happened in Wave 1. The plan was to maintain a highish pace on front but keep the Mavs together for the sprint ace and give Alan "Chimp" Soh a shot at going for the green jersey. Unfortunately due to a confusion with the lap boards the big fella mistimed the mid-point sprint prime and so the opportunity for an early green was missed.
Undeterred, the boys put their heads down and concentrated on the main goal, the stage win, with team captain Richard "Oldish" Paine and Matt "Pony" Lodge driving the pace on the power climbs each lap. With two and half laps to go David "Waxo" Wilkins played his card and attacked off the front and quickly had a 50-metre lead before anyone had really noticed. While Oldish unfortunately punctured on the penultimate lap, Waxo, the hardman of the Mavs, dug deep into his reserves of resolve and still had a decent-sized lead as the "bell" rang for the final lap. The peloton charged furiously on that last lap to bring Waxo in, but the Mav held them off by just three seconds … although he wasn't sure if he'd actually won, claiming not to have heard the bell. This resulted in the slightly comical scenario where he took his hands off the bars ready to give the traditional winning salute but then kept them by his side as he didn't want to look like a dick.
But he was the victor, and just in case he had been caught, Pony won the battle of the bunch. While the times across the two waves were equalized for GC purposes, Waxo donned the yellow jersey due to the second wave being much quicker than the first. With his 6 bonus seconds, Pony sat just behind Waxo going into Stage 1.
Colgate ... sorry, Pony making the pass for the win!
Cat 2 – Stage 1
The Queen stage promised to be a long hard 150km day in the saddle with two protected riders and just five domestiques due to Chimp pulling out from sickness. The task soon got tougher early in the race after two more Mav doms were lost when the pace shot up for the first KOM on the red road to hell. Oldish and Conan "Boutros" Hales did what they could up to the 100km mark, but the veteran Oldish, who was taking on GC water duties in addition to fending off attacks, was feeling the pace and had to sit in for for a while. Fortunately Boutros rose to the occasion and provided solid protection for the GC hopefuls for the next 20km.
But the number and depth of the rival teams was starting to take its toll and Pony had to sacrifice himself to defend Waxo's yellow. It was a admirable showing from Pony putting his own position at risk. But there was no respite and eventually Waxo himself had to take up the fight. In an amazing ride from the yellow jersey, he personally chased down 20-30 attacks, as the rival teams could see he was exposed and smelled blood.
Into the last 4km, Oldish came back to the front to dent the last attacks and neutralise the lead into the line. Waxo was pretty much spent by now but with great positioning, Pony managed to get up the pointy end for the run into the line and took a gutsy stage win with Waxo just out of the placings.
It was a great display of team riding and the result was the Mavs were still in yellow, but with jersey switching to Pony and Waxo now in second place.
The Queen stage promised to be a long hard 150km day in the saddle with two protected riders and just five domestiques due to Chimp pulling out from sickness. The task soon got tougher early in the race after two more Mav doms were lost when the pace shot up for the first KOM on the red road to hell. Oldish and Conan "Boutros" Hales did what they could up to the 100km mark, but the veteran Oldish, who was taking on GC water duties in addition to fending off attacks, was feeling the pace and had to sit in for for a while. Fortunately Boutros rose to the occasion and provided solid protection for the GC hopefuls for the next 20km.
But the number and depth of the rival teams was starting to take its toll and Pony had to sacrifice himself to defend Waxo's yellow. It was a admirable showing from Pony putting his own position at risk. But there was no respite and eventually Waxo himself had to take up the fight. In an amazing ride from the yellow jersey, he personally chased down 20-30 attacks, as the rival teams could see he was exposed and smelled blood.
Into the last 4km, Oldish came back to the front to dent the last attacks and neutralise the lead into the line. Waxo was pretty much spent by now but with great positioning, Pony managed to get up the pointy end for the run into the line and took a gutsy stage win with Waxo just out of the placings.
It was a great display of team riding and the result was the Mavs were still in yellow, but with jersey switching to Pony and Waxo now in second place.
Two out of three on the final podium isn't too bad
Cat 2 – Stage 2
The final stage was always going to be another tough battle to defend the yellow given the combine efforts of the far larger other teams, but with two options in Pony and Waxo tough, the Mavs were confident they could hold on. The plan was to anticipate attacks and minimise long chase downs. Adriano "Fiddler" Niro and Richard "Biggish" Donaldson set a good early tempo in keeping with the tactic of putting numbers up front to make it harder for would-be escapees.
Of course the attacks did come but everything was manageable to begin with and there was even some amusement as a large team (which remain nameless) would send people away into breaks, then set a good tempo on the front as they closed down their own men. This entertainment was short lived as the first sprint ace approached and there was much jostling for position. The Anza boys were all set on defending the green jersey and put together an excellent train to lead their man Craig Cameron across the Sprint Ace point.
With 35km to go, a dangerous break formed and as per the race plan, Boutros was right onto it. Sitting only 16 seconds off the lead, Boutros was another GC option for the Mavs. The break disappeared smartly up the road and built a gap of three minutes with about 25km to the finish.
When a few solitary riders sought to bridge to the leaders, the Mavs took the decision to lift the tempo and keep tabs on the singles in case they formed into potentially dangerous breaks. With no shortage of other teams willing to work, Oldish and Fiddler patrolled the front, while Liam "Rosie" Winston did a sterling effort on water duties.
By Checkpoint Charlie, marking 15km to go, the "bridgers" had been reabsorbed, with just the Boutros group up front. On the long climb to the final KOM point with some 9km to go, Boutros shelled his breakaway companions and set out for the finish. Alas, his gallant effort was thwarted and he was caught just 3km from the line. But Boutros wasn't done, putting in one final lunge with 400m to go, with Oldish taking his wheel and Waxo hoping on the train. Sprints are no place for the timid and in the final battle Wesley Hughes (Joyriders) came up on Oldish and tangled bars, with both just managing to hold it together, but in the mayhem Waxo's lead-out was compromised. Hughes recovered best and went on to cross the line first, with an also-hampered Pony in third.
This was initially thought to be enough for the small horse to defend the yellow jersey, but Hughes' stage victory put him not only on equal time with Pony, the two men also each had a win, a runners-up spot and a third place finish. In the end, Hughes was given the overall title on UCI countback rules which give preference to the position on the last stage. A cruel way for Pony to lose the jersey, but the big Welshman took it stoically and joined Hughes and the third-placed Waxo on the final overall podium.
While the overall win was the obvious target, the Cat 2 Mavs were happy with their weekend's work, especially as they also took the Cat 2 Team title for the fourth year in a row.
The Specialized Mavericks would like to thank their fellow competitors and race organisers MetaSport for another great edition of the Tour de Bintan and look forward to returning in 2015 to try and get that elusive first victory in the Cat 1 race.
The final stage was always going to be another tough battle to defend the yellow given the combine efforts of the far larger other teams, but with two options in Pony and Waxo tough, the Mavs were confident they could hold on. The plan was to anticipate attacks and minimise long chase downs. Adriano "Fiddler" Niro and Richard "Biggish" Donaldson set a good early tempo in keeping with the tactic of putting numbers up front to make it harder for would-be escapees.
Of course the attacks did come but everything was manageable to begin with and there was even some amusement as a large team (which remain nameless) would send people away into breaks, then set a good tempo on the front as they closed down their own men. This entertainment was short lived as the first sprint ace approached and there was much jostling for position. The Anza boys were all set on defending the green jersey and put together an excellent train to lead their man Craig Cameron across the Sprint Ace point.
With 35km to go, a dangerous break formed and as per the race plan, Boutros was right onto it. Sitting only 16 seconds off the lead, Boutros was another GC option for the Mavs. The break disappeared smartly up the road and built a gap of three minutes with about 25km to the finish.
When a few solitary riders sought to bridge to the leaders, the Mavs took the decision to lift the tempo and keep tabs on the singles in case they formed into potentially dangerous breaks. With no shortage of other teams willing to work, Oldish and Fiddler patrolled the front, while Liam "Rosie" Winston did a sterling effort on water duties.
By Checkpoint Charlie, marking 15km to go, the "bridgers" had been reabsorbed, with just the Boutros group up front. On the long climb to the final KOM point with some 9km to go, Boutros shelled his breakaway companions and set out for the finish. Alas, his gallant effort was thwarted and he was caught just 3km from the line. But Boutros wasn't done, putting in one final lunge with 400m to go, with Oldish taking his wheel and Waxo hoping on the train. Sprints are no place for the timid and in the final battle Wesley Hughes (Joyriders) came up on Oldish and tangled bars, with both just managing to hold it together, but in the mayhem Waxo's lead-out was compromised. Hughes recovered best and went on to cross the line first, with an also-hampered Pony in third.
This was initially thought to be enough for the small horse to defend the yellow jersey, but Hughes' stage victory put him not only on equal time with Pony, the two men also each had a win, a runners-up spot and a third place finish. In the end, Hughes was given the overall title on UCI countback rules which give preference to the position on the last stage. A cruel way for Pony to lose the jersey, but the big Welshman took it stoically and joined Hughes and the third-placed Waxo on the final overall podium.
While the overall win was the obvious target, the Cat 2 Mavs were happy with their weekend's work, especially as they also took the Cat 2 Team title for the fourth year in a row.
The Specialized Mavericks would like to thank their fellow competitors and race organisers MetaSport for another great edition of the Tour de Bintan and look forward to returning in 2015 to try and get that elusive first victory in the Cat 1 race.
Tour de Bintan Gallery
We'd like to acknowledge Slow Poke Studio, Wei Yuet Photography, the Tour de Bintan, Travel Kepri, Nico Las and Laura Gordon for the images in this feature.
Waxo on his winning break
Rosie rounds a corner in the crit
All hail the Fishmonger!
|
The cool and sophisticated TimTam
The Cat 2 Mavs patrolling at the front
The Stage 1 glory boys
The bold Chimp!
|
The notorious podium shorts made a few more appearances
Serene (right) introduced her pal Grace to the team ... thanks Serene!
|
Walnut and Pigeon lead Cat field up the first crit hill
|
Post-race poseurs
|
Pixie mixes it up as the Cat 1 chase group goes for the bonus seconds on Stage 1
Yellow suits Pony
|
Grace too!
|