CARLTON Wheelers Cycle Club’s Robin Persaud called on all his experience to outsprint Orville Hinds to take the second leg of this year’s Cheddi Jagan Memorial cycle road race in a time of 1h. 56m: 44 seconds yesterday morning.
A total of 62 cyclists, (the same number which competed in last week’s first leg) were sent on their way for the 50 mile journey from Wales Police Station by Haroon Hussain, the Chief Organizar

in the West Demerara area.
The seniors, who were given a one minute head start over the Veterans, Females and Upright cyclists, journeyed to Bushy Park, East Bank Essequibo, while the other three categories moved off from the same starting point, proceeded to Uitvlugt Community Centre ground and return to the Demerara Harbor Bridge for the finish.
As the seniors made their way on the upward journey, four seasoned cyclists in Persaud, Paul Choo-Wee-Nam, Raymond Newton and Andrew Reece, made a move to the front of the peloton, as they approached Ruimzeight, after Walter Grant-Stuart suffered a flat back wheel at Plantain Walk.
This quartet worked in tandem to increase their lead over the peloton which included Hinds, Marlon ‘Fishy’ Williams, Alanzo Greaves, Raul Leal, Mario King, Raynauth Jeffrey, Enzo Matthews, Davenand Bissoon, Rastaff O’Selmo and John Charles, to close to 1500 metres.
However, a seven man peloton which included De Nobrega, Bissoon, O’Selmo, Matthews, King, Leal and Wasim Gafoor, worked tirelessly to bridge the gap, only managing to do so 300 metres from the turn back point, following which De Nobrega suffered a puncture to his front wheel.
The strong headwind which presented itself to the front peloton saw them reducing their speed and lead over the chasing peloton which was led by Williams, who received amicable assistance from Greaves, De Nobrega, Leal and brothers Michael and Montel Anthony.
They reconnected as they approached the village of Uitvlugt on the downward journey, before Persaud, Hinds and Jeffrey the first leg winner, made an unresponsive move to the front of the peloton at Stewartville and never looked back.
The trio worked in tandem to increase their lead over the first of two hard working pelotons and in the sprint for home, Persaud proved to be the superior cyclist, beating Hinds by half of a length, while Jeffrey relaxed in his saddle to comfortably take the third place spot.
Greaves fought off a bout of influenza to take the fourth place position, sprinting past Sankar and Charles who finished in fifth and sixth place, the process and of the eight sprint prizes which were up for grabs during the event Jeffrey and Persaud took one each, leaving Reece, Newton, Choo-Wee-Nam and Sankar to divide the other four equally.
The event also saw the penalties being handed out to Leal, Michael Anthony, De Nobrega and Choo-Wee-Nam, who were found guilty by of being motor paced by Grant-Stuart, the teammate of the first three, by the Race Commissar Malcolm Sonaram.
According to Sonaram, a warning was issued to Grant-Stuart, the leader of Team Coco’s Guyana, to discontinue the act, but the cyclist sought to remonstrate in an indecent manner to the race official, while he continued to execute the act, resulting the quartet being penalised.
Montel Anthony took the top podium spot for the Junior category ahead of Hamza Eastman and King, Kennard Lovell the Veteran’s category in the time of 1h.28m:22secs over Ralph Williams and Ian Jackson, Ozia Mc Aulay the Upright category from Stephanoo Husbands and Julio Melville, while Naomi Singh was the female category over her nemesis Hazina Bharrat.
Following some brief remarks from Minister of Health Dr. Bheri Ramsarran and Director of Sport Neil Kumar, all the respective prize winners were presented with their prizes won during the event which was sponsored by Krishna Small, a businessman from Parika.
Meanwhile, Jeffrey, who won the first lien on the championship trophy last year, has placed himself in good stead to repeat that feat this year, following his third place finish yesterday, which along with his first leg victory last week, has propelled him to 17 points, over Persaud’s 10, as the cyclists turn their attention to the third and final leg which is set for 24th March in Essequibo.