The competition is fierce, the rivalries bitter.

Some joust. Others chariot race. Still more vie for the best-in-show ribbon.
On Saturday gladiators from around the country will pedal homemade bikes of every shape and size across the Belle Isle suspension bridge for the fourth annual Slaughterama. Most events involve trying to knock others off their bikes. Think “Most Painful Elimination” with live laughter and no racist voice-overs.
Indeed, there are dozens of scrapes with the pavement. But most competitors casually jump off before an impending crash. Or they’ve imbibed enough to feel little pain. New this year is the Alley Kitten, which inventor Evan Venditti preferred to keep a secret. There’s also a new event called four-way whiplash. And the oldie-but-goodie Foot Down, where combatants ride around trying to kick each other off until one is left.

Four years ago there was no such revelry. Just a group of bike-fanatics who welded frames together from cannibalized parts. But then the Richmond bike group Cutthroats, went to New York City for a bike rally. And it was good. So they brought the idea to Richmond, where it’s since developed a loyal following. They expect hundreds to attend Saturday.

Bike subculture suddenly bursts with popularity and then loses momentum in cycles (sorry), Venditti said. Right now, it’s exploding, from single-speed riding hipsters to the creation of new bike “gangs.“

“There’s a huge underground scene for just riding bikes,“ said Jessie Kelley, a founding member of the Cutthroats. “We call them bike kids and they use the bikes as a way to meet people and congregate. If you ride a bike, other people know what kind of person you are.“

“With the art school here, there are a lot of creative types,“ she added.

Richmond’s most notorious bike group doesn’t like to be called a gang because they think the word is pejorative. “We’re a mock motorcycle club, it’s meant to be totally ridiculous,“ Kelley said. “That’s why we’re the Cutthroats, it’s over the top, sounds so hardcore.“

The club’s 15 members include almost equal parts men and women whose ages range from 20 to 32. When people move away, new ones are inducted. Most ride unusual bikes, and most have been hit by a car at least once.

“What we’d really like to do is find people in their 30s that are in the area and would like to join. It seems like as people get older, they give up the things they really enjoy.“ Venditti finished her thought; “This group is trying to do the opposite.“

Their efforts aren’t lost on the national scene. Richmond is a bikeable city-small, with minimal traffic and plenty of greenery. Spring blooms early here, and the weather is a big draw. Each year the event gains exposure and the Cutthroats say people are coming from Portland, OR, and Chicago. Out-of-town guests crash on couches or floors wherever there’s space. It doesn’t hurt that the event has a reputation as a great party. Kelley said they used to host a shindig the night before but people were getting too hung-over to ride the next day. Now the party is on Saturday night, after Slaughterama.

“What I enjoy is the feedback, the stories we get from people who attend,“ Venditti said, adding that Richmond is one of the few Southern cities to host such an event.

The Cutthroats use their bikes for transportation and for socializing. Most don’t own cars. The group went to their first rally in New York City in 2003. They still head up there once a year on the China Town bus. One year the bus caught on fire on the interstate. Acrid black smoke and 12-ft flames leapt out the windows, according to Kelley. After escaping from the inferno, Cutthroats ran back to the bus and pulled their bikes from the storage compartment below. Then they rode up and down the closed-off highway.

There’s been some trash-talking between bike groups as Slaughterama approaches, Kelley said. But the Cutthroats biggest rivals aren’t even bikers, it’s with the Richmond moped gang Hell’s Satans. “By birthright, they’re riding with a motor. We say, ‘Death to false petals,‘“ Kelley said, laughing.

On Saturday, there will be no orange slices, juice boxes or Gatorade. Instead, the gathered masses dehydrate themselves on cheap beer (NO GLASS). The first event, six pack attack, starts at 2pm when teams of bikers must polish off a six-pack while riding around.

Richmond Police and the Parks Department know of the event and, according to the Cutthroats, are okay with them using the grounds of the former Confederate prison.

“The police told us to go there. We used that space under the pavilion. It’s out of the way and we’re not interfering with people trying to relax. It’s been the best spot we’ve gotten,“ Kelley said.

Sean Campbell is the hottest shit in Richmond. He is down with skid marks!
And he is topless!!!