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Bikes and boxing gloves to settle online spat?

Bikes and boxing gloves are the duelling weapons of choice as Labour MP Trevor Mallard and blogger Cameron Slater seek to settle an online spat.

Mr Mallard today challenged Mr Slater to a bike race after taking exception to posts on the Whale Oil blog that mocked his rate of recovery from a bike crash in March.

The MP has to use crutches or a wheelchair to get around Parliament after he broke his right thigh bone and right shoulder blade in the accident.

In a post on Labour's Red Alert blog today, Mr Mallard referred to Slater as "blubber boy" and challenged him to a 50km-60km bike race in Auckland. "We will see whether the actions match the words -- or in his case his fingers," he said.

"I bet he is too chicken, and if he accepted he wouldn't have a chance."

Slater responded to the challenge on Twitter, suggesting they instead took the dispute into the boxing ring.

"Unfortunately Trevor I don't own a bike, the sport is a bit too g.a.y. for me...happy to step in the ring for 3 rounds though," he wrote.

Slater also challenged the MP to sporting clays, which is a form of clay pigeon shooting.

Labour MP Clare Curran on Twitter described her colleague's challenge as "bullshit blokey stuff" and Mr Slater's response as "pathetic".

Neither of the men has publicly accepted the challenges.

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Comments and questions

Slow news day. Very slow news day. However may I suggest 12 rounds of nude mud wrestling with Clare Curran as the referee considering she feigns being appalled..

Pistols at 20 paces?

I would happy to be Whales 2nd in a boxing match if he couldn't make it

and happy to do nude mud wrestling with Clare

Slater calling cycling gay ? LMAO

Silly blogger, please leave a good long serving politian alone............blogger is atwerpeven suggesting.go aand blog in sum mud soeme else.

I would suggest Whales reference to cycling being gay is more about the clothing than the actual riding

The thought of Slater on a cycle is just repulsive.... the bike seat would completely disappear up his fat backside.

I thought Trevor's sport of choice was Boxing - isn't it Tau?

Calling any activity g.a.y to a Labour politician is an obvious way to get them excited! What was Slater thinking?

how much do we pay Trevor and in the current economic situation where Labour seem to have nothing as an alternative budget ... i guess this kind of news could be taken as throwing in the towel and heading off for play time??

whale could get some pointers of tau on mallards moves.

In response to Anonymous | Saturday, May 28, 2011 - 10:54am

Or not considering Tau didn't see or land a punch.

this is pathetic, what is this, life or high school?

Go Trevor, Do it for Helen.

It seems that events have overtaken this article.

Cameron Slater has accepted Trevor's challenge to a bike race and has thrown out a challenge of his own - to meet Trevor in the boxing ring.

Trevor's declined that challenge claiming he has a serious neck injury going back over 10 years. He's unable to participate in any contact sports so Trev claims

Which leaves me asking three questions of Trevor. If he has been unable to participate in any contact sports for the past ten years then:

- why has he continued to play in the parliamentary rugby team?

- what about his well-publicised stoush with Tau Henare in 2007

- why does Trev keep sticking his neck out like this?

In response to Anonymous | Sunday, May 29, 2011 - 12:32pm

Brilliant commentary... should we accept anything less from the Labour Politician... (to quote their own 'gaggle of gays or self serving unionists ...')

I thought slater would challenge mallard to a burger eating competition - its something he actually stands a chance of winning

Must be a REALLY slow news day

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