ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) –  Guadeloupe’s leading cyclist Boris Carene raced to back-to-back victories in the Caribbean Cycling Championships (CCC) staged in St John’s over the weekend. Carene, a member of the Gwada Bikers team, was invincible as he beat a field of 88 riders to secure gold in the men’s time trial.
He finished comfortably, clocking 55:08 seconds about three minutes ahead of the second place Cedric Eustache of Martinique while Curacao’s Hilard Cijntje was third.
However, Carene was forced to dig deep to survive a challenge on the homeward stretch of the other event – the gruelling 84-mile road race.
Three cyclists from Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico and the host country closed in on Carene in a dramatic chase to the finish.
But the winner of last year’s 61st edition of the Tour de Guadeloupe held on long enough to eclipse his ambitious rivals and win in 3:35:46.
Puerto Rico’s Efren A Ortega Rivera clocked 3:35:47 to take second spot.
Countryman Larochelle Stephane placed third in a time of 3:35:48 while Antigua and Barbuda’s Jyme Bridges finished in 3:35:49.
Meantime, Shalini Zabaneh of Belize and Antigua and Barbuda’s Tamiko Butler shared the spotlight in the women’s events.
Zabaneh clocked 31.12 to win the women’s 12-mile trial while Butler crossed the finish line first in 2:08:40.379 to win the 42-mile road race.
Butler had earlier grabbed third place in the women’s 12-mile race.
Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer was among supporters at the roads surrounding the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground for the country’s first-ever hosting of the regional event.