… but looking forward to challenge
RORAIMA Bikers Club (RBC) and defending National Sports Commission (NSC)/Independence three-stage cycle road race champion, Alonso Greaves, knows he will be hard-pressed to retain his title this year, based on the level of his fellow competitors, but he is looking forward to the challenge. “I have been training real hard for the past few weeks and I am feeling great, but I can only assess certain things, after the first stage where I will be looking at my position and take it from there,” said the former Carlton Wheelers Cycle Club (CWCC) cyclist.
The inaugural NSC/Ministry of Health/Ministry of Education HIV/AIDS Awareness five-stage winner believes that Robin Persaud from CWCC along with former champion Godfrey Pollydore will pose the biggest challenges to him, based on their experience.
“In races held so far this year, Robin has been pushing me to the brink with his tactical riding which enabled him to finish behind me in second position on most occasions and with the experience of Polly (Pollydore) to battle with alongside Robin, there alone lies a serious challenge for me.
“But as I said before, I will examine things more closely after the first stage and this is something the team of cyclists at RBC discussed. We have a strong team going into this event and once we ride together then we can occupy at least four of the top six positions at the end of the race,” stated Greaves.
Apart from Persaud and Pollydore, there are Greaves’ teammates in Warren ‘40’ McKay, Marlon ‘Fishy’ Williams, Jude Bently and Raymond ‘Steely’ Newton who are all worthy competitors on two wheels on the local scene.
Add Linden’s John Charles, Junior Niles, Daniel Ramchurjee, Christopher Persaud and Alex Mendes from Kaieteur Cycle Club, Geron Williams and Enzo Matthews from Continental Cycle Club, along with Gordon ‘Bart’ Kennedy and certainly this year’s event can be a heated affair not only for Greaves, but also for other competitors.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Heatwave Cycle Club (HCC) who are led by McKay and includes Williams, are expected to be a part of this event riding under the banner of RBC, but being led by Guy Costa, since McKay has opted to ride and probably lead his local based club, in the absence of club captain Darren Allen who has taken a self-imposed break from cycling for academic reasons.
The battle for supremacy in the Veteran category will be as heated as the Open category, as cyclists with the calibre of United States-based Guyanese Aubrey Gordon, Aubrey Bryce and Jonathan Creavalle will do battle with Linden Blackman and Kenneth Lovell for honours, with Blackman and Lovell already involved in their own head-to-head battle for supremacy.
The first stage, which covers a distance of 46.6 miles, pedals off from Corriverton at 07:30 h on Saturday and proceed to New Amsterdam for the finish, with the second stage proceeding from Rosignol to Carifesta Avenue, a distance of 60.4 miles, from 14:00 h the same afternoon.
The third and final stage will see the remaining cyclists travel from Kara Kara on the Linden highway from 07:30 h and proceed to Homestretch Avenue, a distance of 62 miles, bringing the total miles for all three stages to 169 miles.
As is customary over the years this event has been held to coincide with Guyana’s Independence celebrations. All cyclists are reminded to produce their licences at the start of each stage and wear their club jerseys throughout the race.
Transportation will be provided for cyclists and officials for the first leg and will depart the NSC office at 91 Middle Street at 12:00 h tomorrow, for Springlands Berbice, but not before an official send-off by the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr Frank Anthony.