-Travieso takes final stage
TEAM Coco’s Frank Travieso rode away with the fifth and final stage from Godfrey Pollydore, while his teammate Antonio Quintero carted off the top prize of US$1,000 as the fourth Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS)/ Ministry of Health (MoH)/ Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF) ‘Ride for Life’ five stage cycle road race culminated yesterday.
Travieso completed the 62 miles journey in a time of 2h: 40m: 28 seconds ahead of Godfrey Pollydore, Alonso Greaves, Quintero, dethroned champion Geron Williams and Warren ‘40’ Mc Kay in that order, with the line judges being forced to look at photograph and video footage of the finals to determine the winner of the final stage.
With a record overall time of  10h: 18m :26 seconds used to complete the 266 miles event that commenced at Corriverton in Berbice and culminated on Homestretch Avenue, Quintero became the first non-national to cart off the top prize.
Six seconds separated the overall winner from the second place finishers in Marlon ‘Fishy’ Williams and Eric Sankar who shared the second place prize of $150,000, with Tony Simon, Walter Grant-Stuart, Greaves, Geron Williams, Pollydore, Travieso and Raymond Newton completing the top 10 in that order.
Quintero also walked away with the Veteran’s top prize from Newton who was 2m: 51 seconds behind the overall leader and Gerard Yates a further 3m :04 seconds behind Newton while Paul De Nobrega who clocked 10h: 22m: 55 seconds, was the top junior cyclist from Trinidad and Tobago’s Keron Bramble and Guyana’s Kurt La Rose respectively.
Berbice’s Neil Reece Jnr, who like Quintero, Sankar, Marlon Williams, Simon and Grant-Stuart were all members of the top six group prior to the start of the final stage, was involved in a spill that knocked him out of the top 10 as well as the top junior cyclist position, as he finished 12 minutes after the frontrunners yesterday.
Special prizes were distributed to all the respective stage winners as well as the overall winner and individual category winners, while the efforts of young Ricky Kissoon and Mark Lewis did not go in vain as they were rewarded by the management committee of Team Coco’s.
The race commenced at Kara Kara on the Linden Highway with 47 riders, before Greaves who won the event in its inaugural year three years ago in a time of 11h: 04m: 28 seconds and Linden’s Mark Lewis making a move to the front of the peloton.
The two were joined by Geron Williams and together they increased their lead to half a mile before they were wheeled in by the chasing peloton led once again by Team Coco’s who seemed content to lead the chase whenever a break was made throughout the five stages of the event.
They stayed together for another five minutes or so, before Geron Williams and Enzo Matthews made a move of their own and held a slim lead over the peloton which also included Robin Persaud, Junior Niles, Albert Philander, Kennard Lovell and Ian Jackson just to name a few.
As they passed the National Communications Network (NCN), Reece’s front wheel connected to the back wheel of Matthews resulting in both Reece and Lovell suffering a fall, the first spill of this year’s event.
Lovell was forced to call it a day while Reece found the energy to get back in the saddle and complete the journey, but it was a little too late for the young cyclist from the Ancient County, whose time after completing the stage was not sufficient to guarantee him a place in the top 10 as well as the junior title.
Numerous raids were made by a few cyclists, but every time they did so, Team Coco’s led by their powerhouse Yosvany Falcon and Travieso wheeled in back the front runners.
As they passed the Umbrella Resort, Niles and Robin Persaud surged ahead and stayed where they enjoyed a lead of 150 metres on the peloton, before they  were connected at Grove on the East Bank of Demerara.
They stayed together until the turn for home at the top of Homestretch Avenue, from where the sprint for the finish line commenced with Travieso getting the nod over Pollydore after the photos showed same, while Greaves continued to show he is still one of the best sprinters around when he flew past Quintero to take the third position.
Apart from their overall prize monies received, the first three finishers of each stage collected $10,000, $6,000 and $4,000 respectively with the stage winner taking home a trophy as well, with the presentation of prizes and trophies taking place at the National Cultural Centre.