A BURLY biker has shed his bulk in a bid to battle with the best in the Manx Grand Prix.

Dave Calwell, who lives off Wood End Road in Clayton-le-Woods, spent six months in his slimming quest to lose two and a half stones, dropping to a trim 12 stone.

Father-of-two Dave, 38, was horrified when he saw pictures of himself astride his motorbike. He said: "I couldn't believe how big I was. Snacking had become a habit and my extra weight made me feel tired all the time.

"I had to do something so I enrolled at Weight Watchers which was quite nerve-racking because for five months I was the only man, but the women were really supportive. It's wrong but it's more acceptable for men to be overweight and have beer bellies.

"My weaknesses were bread and snacks which I've cut out. The first few weeks were the hardest but the secret was vegetable soup. I'd make a big pan of it and eat as much of it as I wanted. It was a life-saver!"

Dave continued: "My wife Christine teases me and says I'm now becoming anorexic! But I'm happy as I am, confident that if the pounds pile back on I'll be able to lose them again easily."

And now Dave is fighting fit and raring to go for the Manx Grand Prix in August which is a gruelling four laps of almost 40 miles each. He said: "I feel a lot healthier and fitter. This winter I've had no colds or bad knees, and I can run and feel okay which I couldn't do before.

"My bike benefits too, it now has carries a lot less weight ... which will help my speed considerably!"

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.