Dominguez takes third stage and overall prize
-Jeffrey is top junior
ONCE again and for the second successive year, Team Coco through Cuban born cyclist Ivan Dominguez dominated the local cycling scene, to take away five of the top six positions in this year’s National Sports Commission (NSC) sponsored 30th Independence Anniversary three stage cycle road race yesterday.
Dominguez’s sprinting prowess came to the fore yesterday morning, when he blew away the opposition to take the third and final stage from Kara Kara Linden to Homestretch Avenue (64.5miles/103.3km), in a time of 2h. 42mins:39 seconds.
First stage winner Frank Travieso (Team Coco), Marlo Rodman (Heatwave) and Darren Matthews and Leonardo Martinez (also of Team Coco), finished 2minutes and 5seconds behind Dominguez.
The vast improving Raynauth ‘Obeah Man’ Jeffrey of Carlton Wheelers Cycle Club lost his sprint battle with Team Coco’s David Cueli Santos, as they both were credited with a time of 2h. 52mins: 20seconds, but still managed to take home the prize as the top junior finisher of the event.
After being sent on their way by race organizer Hassan Mohammed, Dominguez, Travieso, Matthews, Rodman-who was representing Team Heatwave and Martinez, broke away from the peloton within the first two miles.
It was a move that paid dividend, as no other cyclists, including Robin Persaud, Alonso Greaves, Warren ‘40’ Mc Kay, Albert Philander, Walter Grant-Stuart and Godfrey Pollydore amongst others found it difficult to muster up the courage to decrease the distance with the frontrunners.
Together, the quintet at the front worked to increase their lead over the peloton as they traverse through the Linden and East Bank Demerara carriageways, until Dominguez who is also known as the ‘Cuban Missile’, made his solo move to the front as they entered Craig Village.
Rodman tried his valiant best to wheel in the Cuban born American, but with there being three other Team Coco members with him, such a move was in vain while Dominguez increased his lead at the front, following which he coasted home to a comfortable victory in the stage, while taking the top podium spot overall.
In the sprint for home, Travieso edged Rodman, who was ahead of Matthews and Martinez, while Cueli Santos and Jeffrey, who broke away from the peloton somewhere on the East Bank Demerara carriageway, had their own battle for the final position in the top six.
The overall top six positions for the event were, Dominguez (6h.44mins:54secs), Martinez (6h.46mins:55secs), Travieso (6h.46mins:59secs), Rodman (6h.47mins:06secs), Matthews (6h.47mins:16secs) and Cueli Santos (6h.52mins:29secs).
Jeffrey completed the three stages, three seconds slower than Cueli Santos to be the top local rider and he was followed by Persaud (6h.55mins:28secs), Greaves (6h.55mins:28secs)and Geron Williams who was six seconds slower than Greaves.
Even though Kennard Lovell and Shameer Baksh who are both veteran cyclists completed the event with the same timings, (6h.56mins:53secs), Lovell received the prize for the top finisher in that category, as he finished ahead of Baksh in two of the three stages, while a special prize was given to Alexandra Constantine of Team Heatwave, for being the first female competitor to cross the finish line.
Following the completion of the event for which the presentation of prizes took place at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall shortly after, the riders would have covered a distance of approximately 171.5 Miles (274.3km) and of the 18 sprint prizes that was up for grabs, Rodman took 7, Jeffrey 5, Santos 4 and Matthews and Dominguez one each.