… Crawford; Hicks in winners’ row

LOCAL cyclist Jeban Crawford and Andrew Hicks registered victories in their respective categories when the 2016 edition of the Tobago cycling classic got underway in the Twin Island Republic last Tuesday.Also taking podium positions on the opening day were Raynauth `Obeah man’ Jeffrey and Romelo Crawford.
According to reports, Jeban Crawford who hails from the Ancient County of Berbice and who represented Trinidadian club, PSL/BBC Cycle Club, won the Division Two Elite Male 21-year-old age-group category five-lap (60km) race with a time of one hour 25 minutes 8.225 seconds.
Hicks, on the other hand, clocked one hour 25 minutes 35.898 seconds in winning the five-lap race for Division Two junior cyclists ahead of his countryman Romelo Crawford who is also representing a Trinidad and Tobago club, where he is currently training and competing on the Trinidad circuit.
Jeffrey, representing Team Coco’s had to settle for second spot in a five-lap event on a larger circuit for Division One riders under 25 years of age. His time was two hours 27 minutes 16.66 seconds.
This event was won by Colombia’s Sebastian Caicedo in two hours 27 minutes 16.39 seconds.
Jeffrey’s teammate Hamza Eastman finished 7th in the same event in two hours 31 minutes 47.31 seconds, while other Guyanese riders, Stephano Husbands and Jamal John placed 8th and 13th respectively.
Meanwhile, Guyana’s only professional cyclist, Geron Williams, contested the Division One 10-lap race and had to settle for 9th place from a field of 44 riders.
Chronicle Sport was told that Williams developed a mechanical problem early in the race, hence his 9th place finish. His time for the event, which was dominated by cyclists from the Netherlands, was two hours 27 minutes 17.79 seconds.
Riders from Colombia, Germany, Netherlands, Dominican Republic, Sweden, Venezuela, France, Antigua, Cuba, Martinique, Canada, Jamaica, Argentina, USA, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados and Denmark are participating in the annual event.
Yesterday was the third leg of the event which will conclude tomorrow.