… Olympic hopeful crashes out in final race
CARLTON Wheelers Cycle Club’s Raynauth Jeffrey stole the spotlight in the mining town of Linden last Sunday, riding away with two wins and a runner-up spot in the Linden Bauxite Flyer’s Cycle Club-organised Baker’s Memorial Cycle meet held around the Amelia’s Ward Circuit. The 17-year-old Jeffrey, who has found himself in the spotlight at the commencement of the cycling season back in January, dominated the field in the Junior 5-lap event to win by over one minute from the second-placer Paul De Nobrega, before he took the Unknown Distance event and placed second in the Feature race.
The day’s activities got under way with the Roraima Bikers Club team of Alonzo Greaves, Marlon ‘Fishy’ Williams, Albert Philander and Alex Mendez completing the two-lap time trial race in a time of six minutes flat, with CWCC taking second position after being five seconds slower and Continental Cycle Club third, with an additional eight seconds slower than CWCC.
Jornel Yearwood of the host club took the Beginners’ two-lap event from his club mate Randy Haynes with 13-year-old Alfie Sonaram of Flying Stars Cycle Club finishing third.
Up next was the Juniors five-lap event, and this was where Jeffrey showed the cycling fans and enthusiasts, who braved the sweltering heat to witness the day’s events, when he came from the back of the 12-man peloton, his dominance, and later won that event.
At the end of the third lap, his lead was just 22 seconds over de Nobrega, Leal and Kurt La Rose and when he took the bell which signalled the start of the final lap that lead had increased to 50 seconds, which later became 1m. 2:12seconds at the finish.
Jeffrey’s club mate Junior Niles took the Veterans Under-50 four-lap event from Ian ‘Dumb Boy’ Jackson and Talim Shaw respectively, before Greaves outsprinted Robin Persaud and Williams to take the Category 1 and 2 six-lap race in a time of 19.39:30, after Williams led the event from the third lap.
The Ladies’ two-lap event was dominated by Naomi Singh, who gave her two competitors Shellon Massiah and Jasmin Louisy a one-minute head start, while Rastaff O’Selmo took the Category 3 and 4 five-lap event from Philander and De Nobrega respectively.
The Mountain Bike two-lap race was won by Keon Thomas over Hamza Eastman and Shaquille Agard, Britton John the BMX 6-9 one-lap from Philbert Walters and Denzil Huntley, and Orville Hinds the Linden Members Only three-lap event from Gordon Sampson and Michael Anthony.
Over 25 cyclists faced the starter for the Unknown distance race which was dominated by Jeffrey who seemed destined to win every event he entered mpete on the day, with Greaves and Niles taking second and third respectively.
Jamal Arthur won the BMX 9 to 12 one-lap race from Kapildev Bisham and Philbert Walters. Khemraj Sanichar stunned the field and spectators to ride away with the BMX 12 to 14 one-lap meet from Shaquille Campbell and Jason Jordan, who were heavily favoured to win same.
Singh, who, along with Greaves, was later forced to withdraw from the feature event following a crash in front of the official tent, came back to take the second Beginners’ two-lap race with Haynes and Sonaram occupying the second and third positions once again.
Like Sanichar, Virgil Jones rode away with the Veteran Over-50 two-lap race from another Lindener and crowd favourite Lancelot Rose, with Walter Isaacs placing third, while Mikhail Diaz easily won the BMX Open two laps from Cleveland King and Campbell.
The final race of the day pedalled off at exactly 15:25hrs, with close to 40 cyclists facing the starter for the 18-lap event which had a total prize money of $29 000 up for grabs as sprint prizes at the end of every lap, except for laps 5, 10 and 15, where the prize was worth $5 000 for those laps.
However, as they crossed the finish line for the second lap which saw Hinds take the sprint prize away from Philander as he did in the first lap, Greaves got his back wheel entangled with another cyclist and was thrown out of the saddle, along with Singh and another cyclist whose name was unknown.
Both Greaves and Singh were rushed to the Mackenzie Hospital, where it was revealed that Greaves had suffered a slipped right shoulder apart from the abrasions to his leg and arms, while Singh had picked up a muscle injury on her right thigh.
The race was later won by Eric Sankar in a time of 1h.01:46secs, after he out-sprinted both Jeffrey and Walter Grant-Stuart to the line in a tense finish, with Philander, Mark Lewis and Niles completing the top six positions.
Hinds (4), Grant-Stuart (4), La Rose and Jeffrey (2 each) and Persaud and Anthony with one each, took the regular sprint prizes while the three special sprint prizes was won by Persaud (lap 5), Hinds (lap 10) and Grant-Stuart (lap 15).
At the conclusion of the day’s activities, prizes were distributed to the respective winners while chairman of the Guyana Sports Development Foundation (GSDF) Colin Baker, in whose parents’ honor the event was held, lauded the organising club for successfully doing so, despite the few accidents that occurred.