Below is the posted report by BFV (big friendly Vegan) a LACC rider who has been inspirational in drumming up the rivalry between the two battling clubs. Each week he would post a cheeky animated gif on the DHBC forum taunting them into war.
Cheers Paul
BFV's RACE REPORTHow would Sir Dave Brailsford choose a team for an Italian Pursuit? For you hipsters who aren't aware of cycling outside of fixies, Dave is the general manager of Team Sky (the team in the Rapha jerseys) and is famous for a scientific approach to cycling that produces performances that rival those of cycling teams in the 90s.
When it comes to choosing a team, I'm sure Sir Dave would have a very detailed spread sheet detailing every combination of riders on the roster and all of their statistics. He would also have this information for the rival teams and he would have the race planned out on paper long before it was ever raced. This has proven to be a successful formula for both Sky and British cycling, producing two yellow jerseys and multiple Olympic gold’s.
LACC has its very own Sir Dave in Stelio Pappas. Stelio had the complete roster of all LACC riders who had raced at RAW this year and he had an amazing spread sheet of team possibilities. It was colour coded and automated and Stelio generated what, according to the numbers, was a team that could beat Dulwich Hill. The team consisted of two of the fastest masters women road racers in the state (that's not hyperbole, the podiums at the NSW Masters championships last weekend featured LACC women galore), two members of the Celebrations Racing Team squad, and a recent pro rider. According to Stel and his spread sheet, this team was faster than anything Dulwich Hill could put together.
Come the final night at RAW, with all of the team there, spirits were high. Stel called a riders meeting, pulled out his phone (with the spread sheet on it), and showed everyone how we were going to win. Everyone saw the colour coding and saw that it was good. And then one of our road champions asked what the rules for an Italian pursuit were. The race was explained. Then someone said "fence start?"
What Stel's spread sheet didn't have in it was the team factor. Dulwich Hill, seeing our team posted early and knowing they were inferior, spent time practicing their pursuits. It was this that got them the win. We had the strongest riders, but we didn't have a team. When the whistle blew and the Dulwich Hill team dropped into the sprinters lane...well, it was sort of like watching a 10 person human centipede; LACC's start was like watching a blind guy playing Tetris.
The only way LACC could win was with superior speed, and that speed was shown with the gap caused by the poor start being clawed back lap by lap. It wasn't enough, however, and Dulwich Hill won by virtue of their well-practiced pursuiting and adequate speed. Well done, Dulwich Hill.
I will conclude this report by serving notice that we will be up there again next year and we will win. Our road champions have been blooded; they're not used to losing. Our new velodrome is almost complete, so we will be practicing. Enjoy your bike, Dulwich Hill, it's the last one you'll win.
