A NEW champion will be crown today at the 13th annual Victor Macedo 70-mile cycle road race, since last year’s winner Michael Anthony will miss the event due to his cycling engagements overseas.
According to a Guyana Cycle News report, Anthony left Guyana two weeks ago for the Twin Island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago to train and compete in the Tour of Tobago Series which will be held from September 29 to October 4.
The Guyanese will be riding for Trinidad’s power team `Heatwave’.
Anthony will be joined in Tobago by another Guyanese, Raynauth `Obeahman’ Jeffrey, who is based in the United States (U.S.), but is currently in Colombia on a two-week training stint.
Anthony’s absence from today’s race could very well see a number of top junior riders carting off the top six places on the podium as several other top local wheelsmen are currently training and competing in the U.S. and will not be home for the event. Among those in the U.S. are Geron Williams and Hamza Eastman. .
The highly anticipated event wheels off on Sunday from Georgetown to Long Creek on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway and back to Georgetown for the finish.
Last year, Anthony rode a tactical race to win the event ahead of Guyana’s `crème-de-la- creme ‘cyclists’ returning a winning time of three hours 14 minutes 19 seconds.
Anthony’s Team Gillette Evolution team mates Akeem Wilkinson, Orville Hinds, Raul Leal and Stephen Fernandes will have to be at their best if they want their team to continue their dominance for the 2015 cycle season.
Apart from the Team Gillette Evolution members, today’s event will see Paul DeNobrega, Jamaul John, Raphael Leung, Robin Persaud, Junior Niles and Alonzo Ambrose in action.
By virtue of winning the event last year, Anthony also received the first place prize in the junior category, so come today, a new junior champion will be crowned and that person could very well be John.
Last year, Eastman placed second, DeNobrega was third, Robin Persaud fourth, Alonzo Ambrose fifth and Raphael Leung occupied the sixth position while Ambrose and Travis Jeffrey placed second and third respectively in the junior category.
The veteran category was won by Eion `Dumb Boy’ Jackson who finished ahead of Evral Mundraye and Junior Niles respectively.
Keon Thomas was the first mountain biker to cross the finish line. Julio Melville was second and Deoraj Garbaran third.
The juveniles’ category was won by Raphael Leung. Second was Romelo Crawford and third was Jamaul john.
There will be a roll start from Macedo’s residence, Peter Rose Street, Queenstown, at 07:30hrs and the participants will get the green flag on Homestretch Avenue.
Thereafter, they will journey east and turn right when they reach Mandela Avenue, turn onto the East Bank public road to the Soesdyke/Linden and unto the highway heading for the turn-back point at Long Creek. From there they will return to Georgetown via the same route to finish on Homestretch Avenue.

By Michael DaSilva