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End of Series Report
Click here to download KHS Working Week Series Grudge Match Final Results! See www.brightorangeevents.com for full series results and photos.
We hope you had a great day out at Sparrow Hill on 5 August at the final round of the 2007 KHS Working Week Series. Thanks to BOE and CORC for putting on a great event, and managing to rustle up some beautiful weather to boot.
So, how did it all end up?
Well, two Grudges were already decided before the final round - Stephen, Phillip, Gary & Nathan won the Western Sydney Kids Grudge, and Bucket Arse & Friends won the Catch us if you can Grudge Match.
Unfortunately, due to a no show from Daffodils at Sparrow Hill, the On for Young and Old Grudge could no longer continue as the teams had not competed at the same four events.
This left two Grudges still to be decided:
Le gantelet Superprestige Series – A Dick & A Knob went into this round one win ahead and the Surly Flinging Monkeys needed to field their two team members (Rob Parbery & Yvonne Toole) as they had already used up their one rider substitution. Unfortunately this was not to be – although Rob did manage to find a quite adequate substitute in Katrin van der Spiegel in order to avoid racing solo, and they beat the other team by almost 15mins, the win couldn’t count in the Grudge results. However, even if this race had been allowed, A Dick & A Knob would still have taken the honours with their higher lap count over the 6 events.
For the Goat – Team Nugg went into the final round just one win ahead but on equal laps with PB Racing. It was a close fought affair with Team Nugg just making the cutoff to put in a final lap which confirmed their place as Grudge Match winners.  photo - brightorangephotos.com
At Presentation, the winners were awarded a certificate and a Stans NoTubes conversion kit each, while the losers were presented with a set of disposable overalls and safety glasses. They then had to eat humble pie … in the form of cream pies, served to them by the victors. We’d like to thank the losing team members for meekly accepting their punishment. And we hope you like your consolation prize of Oury “Soft” grips!
We then gave the audience the opportunity to throw pies at Stu, offered at $5 per pie with proceeds going to the Ben Mikic Foundation. Unfortunately nobody came forth with the cash so rather than waste good pies, Stu said he’d donate the money himself. Suddenly the pie offer was eagerly accepted and Stu copped it big time! Huge thanks to Stu for his generosity and for being a great sport. photo - brightorangephotos.com
Unfortunately one of the prizes was missed at presentation – for the Web Reports contributions. We had two contributors, Rob Parbery and Joe Ward, and they’d regularly submitted very entertaining reports. We felt that there was no clear winner, therefore I made an executive decision to award it to Rob Parbery due to an act of great sportsmanship – Rob helped an injured rider (myself) off the track at the Yarramundi round costing him a podium in the mixed pairs on the day. So, we think he’s very deserving of the prize!
And finally, we would really love to get some reports from Grudge Match teams for this website – tell us how your Grudge came about, the highs and lows of your racing experience in this year’s KHS WWS, and how it felt to be the winner/loser at the end of the day. Send these through to me - fi at dirtworks.com.au.
Thanks to you all for embracing the Grudge Match concept – we look forward to seeing it feature at future events.
Cheers
Fiona Dick
Dirt Works Grudge Match Administrator
Grudge Match Participant Reports
Race: KHS Working Week Series # 1, Lidsdale, 4 February 2007
Grudge Match: le gantelet Superprestige Series
Rob's Grudge Report
Some might call it an upset… I'm not sure how finding Fi a race partner ended up in a Grudge Match (although now I think about it…). Anyway thus was born the le gantelet Superprestige Series with A Dick & a Knob versus The Surly Flinging Monkeys (formerly known as Hurtenflurst) who has placed 3rd overall in the series last year (1st un-sponsored team). All the early money was on the A Dick & a Knob to take a comfortable win with the Knob even getting so cocky to abandon his singlespeed in favour of his blinged up Rush with mumblings about achieving a podium placing. My race plan for the first lap (that was about as far ahead as I looked) was to do my best to mark the Knob, figuring if I could come into transition at the same time has him I could blame loosing the race on my teammate. Unfortunately shortly after the start I lost sight of him, so instead I jumped on the wheel of the rider formerly known as the Pinklespeeder and stuck with him for as long as I could. A fun lap riding with a couple of other SSers and I'm into transition hand over to Yvonne and surprise surprise the Knob was behind and we're up by almost 3 minutes as the Knob headed out for lap 2 of a double stint.
 photo - Steve Hanley 
The Knob finally makes his way through transition and starts making noises about quitting, the end for him has come prematurely. Out on the lap Fi bombs past Yvonne somewhere in the sniggle and they're back in the lead to find the Knob asleep in the hammock and decides to also throw in the towel, so victory is ours. We complete another 2 laps before I head out on one last celebratory lap on the Surly Cross-Check (hey Knob did you notice my lap time on the singlespeed 'crosser was faster than any of your laps on your "speed weapon"?) to win eventually by 2 laps.
Result: Surly Flinging Monkeys - 11 Laps/8:16:23; A Dick & A Knob - 9 Laps/7:34:35
Race: KHS Working Week Series # 2, Darkes Forest, 18 March 2007
Grudge Match: le gantelet Superprestige Series The Knob’s Grudge Report Raceday dawned cloudy but dry, actually when I awoke it wasn't dawn yet so it wasn't looking too bad until Fi picked me up in the Dick and a Knob pro racing team pantech. The truck comes complete with sleeping facilities (very important), a fully equipped kitchen (shopping bag with chips and chocolate) and a tech area (Fi's toolbox). We arrived at the Lost Frog track to find "The Surly Faffing Baboons" with a subbed rider in the shape of Doug. Funny name for a sheila I thought and after a quick check under her Hawaiian shirt I found she was in fact a he! Now if you're going to bring in dodgy replacement riders you could at least get him to whack on some lippy and pink knicks! Pathetic! So really this round was over before it began with a forfeit from the Baboons but nonetheless the Dick and a Knob pro racing team put the hammer down early in the greasy conditions and rode consistently all day to record a genuine victory and coming a pleasing 5th in the mixed pairs category. Thankfully the Knob got his shit together this round and didn't get beaten in the intra-team lap time comp. Rob reckons he beat my lap time but I reckon he set that when the course was shortened, so sorry bzzzzzzzzzzzzzt! News just in: It looks like the Baboons are running away with their monkey tails between their legs and look like not turning up for an inevitable thrashing at Wingello. Result: A Dick & A Knob - 17 Laps/8:17:42; Surly Flinging Monkeys - 13 Laps/8:07:23
Race: KHS Working Week Series # 3, Wingello, 15 April 2007
Grudge Match: le gantelet Superprestige Series
Rob's Grudge Report With the return to the country of my race partner, a track with no major hills and a new bike on the way things were looking good for the Monkeys for Round 3. After settling down for the night and getting to sleep (missing all the excitement that was happening over the other side of the campsite) I was rudely awakened from my dream by a text – "I'm not coming down tomorrow, good luck with your solo effort". I think there was a good excuse (there better have been a good excuse!!). So it seemed that once again the round was over before it began, but after seeing the way the Knob had been riding recently there was always the chance he would miss a corner and ride off through the scrub into one of the deeper gorges of Wingello. For the first three laps I followed the Monkey formerly known as Pinklespeeder who was riding fixed in preparation for a track meet. As he descended, legs spinning faster like a frog in a blender I gave a quick thanks to William Van Anden & Ernst Sachs as I coasted effortlessly. By lap 4 the Dick and the Knob were already a lap up and couple of laps later I was ready the fling in the towel and head to the showers. In a last mad dash The Monkeys managed to salvage something from the day, once again stealing the fastest lap away from the Knob. Taking advantage of the KHS test rides I took the Tuscon 29"er for spin. For a large wheeled bike it handled the single track surprisingly well and on the fire roads it was an absolute speed machine.
The Black Monkey: 32:53
The Knob: 33:15 Stay tuned for Episode IV: A New Grudge The Knob's Grudge Report photo - Rob Parbery
Well sad to say but it looks like the Surly Baboons have picked up their gauntlet gloves, put them back on an ridden off into the sunset with their tails between their legs (I hope they have the saddles with the hole in the middle). Race 3 was over before it began as Rob's race partner Yvonne failed to turn up, bailing at 11pm the night before but to his credit he said "bugger it, I'll take you on alone and on a singlespeed". "Good luck pal" I retorted.
Well, it was going well for him for 2 laps as I started at the back of the field but the finely oiled machine that is "A Dick and a Knob pro racing team" clicked into gear and we belted out very consistent lap times all day (except for one lap...) and I managed to pull my fastest lap of the day on my last lap after eating 1/3rd of a huge Rocky Road easter egg. I never thought of Darrel Lea as a sports store, now I know better. After 8 hours on a great course with excellent weather we finished basically where we started in 6th place in mixed pairs which was pretty good considering we were racing the Flemings, Zoe & Wazza, Katrin VDS and Richard Mountstephens and the Henderson kids, so a top 4 was pretty much out of reach. At least I managed a lap time 8 seconds faster than a 14 year old girl.... Thanks to my team mate Fi for A) getting out of bed and making it to the race (I've found this is very important for winning) and B) for waking me up from my mid race slumber (doh!). I think we can call this grudge over and won unless Rob wants to go double or nothing for round 5? Result: A Dick & A Knob – 14 Laps/08:26:58; Surly Flinging Monkeys - 8 Laps/ 07:57:10
Race: KHS Working Week Series # 4, Killingworth, 3 June 2007
Grudge Match: le gantelet Superprestige Series
The Knob's Grudge Report
Ahhh, another round and another victory. Yet again a bit of a walk-over due to Rob's imaginary team-mate but he was determined to stick it to us by riding solo and/or taking the glory of fastest lap. Despite sinking to the desperate depths of buying a new lightweight scandium bike (with gears and suspension!) he was off the pace all day while Fi was belting out smokin' lap times on her new Ellsworth Epiphany bike. We settled into 3rd place after the 1st lap, with Craig of Slow and Slower beating me into transition by 2 secs (we had been delayed by the namesake of the All-Dwights team who evidently couldn't ride for nuts - crashing 3 times that I saw and always right in front of me - despite the flash carbon Rush and good climbing legs, back to the road bike eh?). 5 mins after I came in, Rosi King arrived for the CBD SS pair only for Josh to pull out some blinding 35 min laps which put them up to 2nd place. So it was looking like 3rd for us until we heard that Rosi was pretty blown, though I wasn't much better and cramping slightly but thought we might be able to snap up 2nd. Despite keeping it fairly consistent all day, Fi especially so, we ended up 4 and a half mins off the CBD crew and about half a day behind the Flemings. So our first podium result which has landed us 2nd overall in the series while Fi took bragging rights for the fastest lap and Rob basically.... sucked, blaming the shock on his new bike though I think it's something to do with the thing between the seat and handlebars! 8^p
Result: A Dick & A Knob - 12 Laps/08:26:46; Surly Flinging Monkeys - 8 Laps/07:38:40
Race: KHS Working Week Series # 5, Yarramundi, 8 July 2007
Grudge Match: le gantelet Superprestige Series A bent Dick and spanked Knob. photo - brightorangephotos.com A crisp day dawned... actually it was bloody freezing, and Rob looked destined to race alone.... again. After a chaotic start, "McEwen" Parbury went up the front to play with the big kids while I settled into my own languid rhythm, at the half way point in the opening lap I came across a broken and exhausted "McEwen" his green jersey (Salsa... not Maillot Vert, just like the real McEwen eh?) covered in sweat. Luckily for him his team mate actually bothered to turn up, we had a race on our hands after all! I powered away from the Faffing Monkey and headed off into lap 2. Through the return to the event centre I heard Fi cheer me on which was nice as seconds later I was lying sideways on the track wondering what the hell just happened, I knew I shouldn't have taken cornering lessons from Stuey O'Grady. I picked myself up, thankfully no lasting damage to me or more importantly the bike. That 50 meter section of track has now taken me out twice and broken my old Inbred SS (but not with me on it thankfully), it's cursed I tells ya! A slower lap than the 1st and I handed over to Fi..... I saw her looking strong at the pallet jump and expected her to return pretty snappily..... Well, it didn't quite go to plan, as Fi had a bit of an off while trying to replace her water bottle and buggered her ankle. Amusingly I forewarned her that would smite her for putting a Giant bidon cage on an Ellsworth and thusly it was so.... Word came through to HQ that some brute was carrying Fi though the bush only to find that it was "McEwen" and he was carrying a compression bandage to boot. If anyone deserved a sportsmanship prize it's Rob. With us both bandaged and iced up we packed and left to find a hospital with a wait time less then the actual amount of time it would take for the injury to repair itself untreated. A Dick and a Knob should be all good for the final "spank the Monkeys" round at Sparrow... if not I'm in for a long day in the office.
The Knob Result: Surly Flinging Monkeys - 11 Laps/08:15:54; A Dick & A Knob - 2 Laps/01:13:24
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