SENIOR cyclist Robin Persaud reigned supreme yesterday in the feature 35-lap race ahead of Orville Hinds, Walter Grant-Stuart and Geron Williams in the Universal Auto and General Supplies 11-race cycling meet. The event was staged on the inner circuit of the National Park, Thomas Lands, where Persaud copped three prime prizes in the race he won in a time of one hour, 17 minutes and 53 seconds.
Potential London Olympian Alonzo Greaves was fifth and top junior rider Raynauth Jeffrey pedalled in sixth.
Grant-Stewart also earned four prime prizes, while one went to the rapidly improving Lindener, Hinds.
The event, which attracted 29 starters of which Guyana’s top local riders were included, saw a steamy start with Persaud, Hinds, Grant-Stuart and Williams leading the way.
In the third lap the four riders had already established a sizeable lead on the others.
This leading peloton was pursued by Greaves, Eric Sankar, Jeffrey, Junior Niles, last year’s winner Enzo Matthews among others. However, the leaders worked together to increase their lead and by the 20th lap they had lapped the entire field.
Williams, who was sharing the lead at lap 28, suffered a puncture and lost ground when he changed wheels leaving Grant-Stuart, Persaud and Hinds. Two laps later Grant-Stuart also suffered the misfortune of a punctured front tyre and also lost ground while changing his wheel.
The race was now in the hands of Hinds and the experienced Persaud. With 200 metres to the finish line, Hinds and Persaud were still together but Hinds pounced on Persaud and began his sprint to the finish. Persaud pursued Hinds and used his superior sprinting ability to power himself across the finish line to take the victory.
Prior to the feature race, Shameer Baksh, manager of Universal Auto and General Supplies, rode off with the Veterans Under-50, five–lap first place trophy and the prime prize beating UK-based Stephan Hinckson and Bochel Samaroo into second and third respectively.
In the five-lap Veterans Over-50 race, Virgil Jones was first, followed by Wilfred Thom and Courtney Hackett respectively. Maurice Fagundes was the only starter in the Veterans Over-60 five-lap race and took the award.
Meanwhile, Linden’s Michael Anthony won the Juniors and Juveniles 10-lap race and the two prime prizes in a time of 22 minutes and 36 seconds ahead of Raul Leal and Jeffrey.
Adrian Sharma was the victor in the BMX Boys’ 12 to 14 years, three-lap race ahead of Khemraj Sanichar and Yousuff Latiff, respectively.
Kapel Dev Bisham won the Boys’ nine-to-12 years, three-lap race ahead of Jamal Arthur and Bryton John.
Isaiah and Ken Sahadeo occupied the top  two spots respectively in the two-lap BMX Boys’ six-to-nine years race, while Nicholas D’Andrade had to settle for the third position.
Makel Diaz took top honours in the three-lap BMX Boys’ Open race ahead of Ricardo Sharma and Adrian Sharma. In the 12-to-14-years, boys and girls, three-lap race, Alfie Sonaram, Marica Dick and Komal Harripersaud were the top three finishers in that order. The prime prize however went to Dick.
Dexter Wilson and Kester Croal were the only entrants for the Upright cycle race which was won Wilson. Croal, however, took the prime prize.
At the prize-giving ceremony, national cycling coach Hassan Mohamed thanked Universal Auto and General Supplies manager Baksh for his sponsorship and the cyclists for participating in the meet and making the programme a successful one.
Mohamed also intimated that the 30th annual Three-stage cycle road race will pedal off on May 12 in Corriverton.
The national cycling coach also disclosed that following the Three-stage event, he plans on staging an 11-race cycling programme in the National Park to honour the late Ulric Pollydore, who was a former Guyana Cycling Federation president and a former president of the Kaieteur Cycling Club. Pollydore, who was a close friend of Mohamed, was the father of top veteran cyclist Godfrey Pollydore.