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TACTICAL riding from Barbados’ Jamol Eastman, who saw the 19-year-old cyclist complete back-to-back wins in the first two stages of this year’s 31st Annual National Sports Commission (NSC) Independence three-stage cycle road race yesterday, heading into today’s final stage, well positioned to take the top prize.Having won the first stage from the Corriverton Police Station and to New Amsterdam for a distance of 46.6 miles in a time of 1h.43mins:08secs earlier in the day, Eastman used the recuperation period well to his advantage to take the second stage which covered a distance of 60.4 miles, as the riders pedalled from Rosignol to Carifesta Avenue in a time of 2h.34mins:31secs.
With the two 10-second bonus time being given for his back-to-back stage wins, Eastman will now head into this morning’s final stage, which will see the remaining riders pedal from Kara Kara on the Linden Highway and proceed to Homestretch Avenue a distance of 64.5 miles, with an overall time of 4h.17mins:19secs.
Five of Guyana’s top riders in Alonzo Greaves, who placed second to Eastman in yesterday morning’s first stage, Geron Williams, Orville Hinds, Raul Leal and Raynauth Jeffrey complete the top five for this year’s event and hold a slim chance of overtaking the cyclist from the Land of the Flying Fish.
Williams, who placed fourth in the first stage, improved on that position to take second behind Eastman and now sits in second place on the leaders’ board, 10 seconds adrift, with Hinds a further two seconds behind and Greaves an additional second, while Leal and Jeffrey are joint fifth, seven seconds adrift of Greaves.
Following Eastman and Williams in the top four who were given bonus times for yesterday’s second stage were Persaud and Hinds in that order, while Greaves, Hinds and Williams trailed Eastman across the finish line at the end of yesterday’s first stage.
Persaud, Warren ‘40’ McKay, John Charles, Rastaff O’Selmo, Jude Bentley, Junior Niles, Marlo Rodman, Mario King, Alex Mendez, Paul Choo-Wee-Nam, Aubrey Gordon, Andre Simon, Andrew Reece and Godfrey Pollydore were among the peloton who stopped the clock at 1h.44m:11secs in the first stage, which also saw Horace Burrowes, Raul Leal and Raynauth Jeffrey finish with the top four.
Several cyclists, including Stephen Fernandes and Enzo Matthews suffered mechanical failures during the first stage, with Matthews breaking his front fork while Fernandes collided with a cow from within the peloton, just as he was about to refresh himself.
Amidst all the hiccups endured by the cyclists in the first stage, Greaves, Eastman, Hinds, Williams, Jeffrey, Burrowes and Leal made their move to the front as they approached the Port Mourant Market and never looked back, working their way to the finish line following Eastman who won.
When the second stage got under way yesterday afternoon, Paul DeNobrega picked up a rear wheel puncture within the first two minutes, but got a quick wheel change and managed to reconnect with the peloton.
A keenly contested battle was evident, as several small breaks did not last long, as the top riders in the peloton saw it fit to wheel in the front-runners, even though riders such as Alfie Sonaram, Hazina Bharrat, Linden Peters, Albert Philander and Gary Benjamin found it difficult to keep up with the peloton now travelling at 28 mph and were dropped.
Both O’Selmo and Brian Harris got punctures in their rear wheels while Matthews suffered another mechanical failure. Alonso Ambrose experienced a spill, but he recovered quickly and got back in his saddle.
While all this action was taking place at the back of the peloton, Reece, Gordon and Robin Persaud and his unrelated namesake Christopher Persaud made their move to the front of the peloton, where they held a lead of 200 metres at Bel Air, West Coast Berbice.
As they approached the Abary Bridge, Simon, Burrowes, Jeffrey, Eastman, Reece, Rodman and Jason Perryman, made their move to the front of the peloton after reconnecting with the front quartet, before they were caught by the chasing peloton.
Soon after the reconnection was made, Greaves, Robin Persaud, Williams, Christopher Holder, DeNobrega, Eastman, Hinds, Jeffrey and Choo-Wee-Nam made their move to the front, but they were caught as they approached the Mahaica Bridge.
Upon crossing the bridge, Choo-Wee-Nam, Robin Persaud, Gordon and Simon moved to the front of the peloton and worked together until they approached Plaisance, where Robin Persaud made his solo move to front, while the other three were wheeled in by a chasing peloton.
That peloton which included the eventual winner, Simon, Greaves, Williams, Holder, Hinds, Jeffrey, Gordon and Wazim Gafoor, connected with Persaud, before Eastman displayed his sprinting prowess by taking the stage away from Williams, Persaud and Hinds in that order and of the five female cyclists who started the event yesterday morning, only Naomi Singh (4h.28m:49secs) crossed the finish line .
With the two 10-second bonus time being given for his back-to-back stage wins, Eastman will now head into this morning’s final stage, which will see the remaining riders pedal from Kara Kara on the Linden Highway and proceed to Homestretch Avenue a distance of 64.5 miles, with an overall time of 4h.17mins:19secs.
Five of Guyana’s top riders in Alonzo Greaves, who placed second to Eastman in yesterday morning’s first stage, Geron Williams, Orville Hinds, Raul Leal and Raynauth Jeffrey complete the top five for this year’s event and hold a slim chance of overtaking the cyclist from the Land of the Flying Fish.
Williams, who placed fourth in the first stage, improved on that position to take second behind Eastman and now sits in second place on the leaders’ board, 10 seconds adrift, with Hinds a further two seconds behind and Greaves an additional second, while Leal and Jeffrey are joint fifth, seven seconds adrift of Greaves.
Following Eastman and Williams in the top four who were given bonus times for yesterday’s second stage were Persaud and Hinds in that order, while Greaves, Hinds and Williams trailed Eastman across the finish line at the end of yesterday’s first stage.
Persaud, Warren ‘40’ McKay, John Charles, Rastaff O’Selmo, Jude Bentley, Junior Niles, Marlo Rodman, Mario King, Alex Mendez, Paul Choo-Wee-Nam, Aubrey Gordon, Andre Simon, Andrew Reece and Godfrey Pollydore were among the peloton who stopped the clock at 1h.44m:11secs in the first stage, which also saw Horace Burrowes, Raul Leal and Raynauth Jeffrey finish with the top four.
Several cyclists, including Stephen Fernandes and Enzo Matthews suffered mechanical failures during the first stage, with Matthews breaking his front fork while Fernandes collided with a cow from within the peloton, just as he was about to refresh himself.
Amidst all the hiccups endured by the cyclists in the first stage, Greaves, Eastman, Hinds, Williams, Jeffrey, Burrowes and Leal made their move to the front as they approached the Port Mourant Market and never looked back, working their way to the finish line following Eastman who won.
When the second stage got under way yesterday afternoon, Paul DeNobrega picked up a rear wheel puncture within the first two minutes, but got a quick wheel change and managed to reconnect with the peloton.
A keenly contested battle was evident, as several small breaks did not last long, as the top riders in the peloton saw it fit to wheel in the front-runners, even though riders such as Alfie Sonaram, Hazina Bharrat, Linden Peters, Albert Philander and Gary Benjamin found it difficult to keep up with the peloton now travelling at 28 mph and were dropped.
Both O’Selmo and Brian Harris got punctures in their rear wheels while Matthews suffered another mechanical failure. Alonso Ambrose experienced a spill, but he recovered quickly and got back in his saddle.
While all this action was taking place at the back of the peloton, Reece, Gordon and Robin Persaud and his unrelated namesake Christopher Persaud made their move to the front of the peloton, where they held a lead of 200 metres at Bel Air, West Coast Berbice.
As they approached the Abary Bridge, Simon, Burrowes, Jeffrey, Eastman, Reece, Rodman and Jason Perryman, made their move to the front of the peloton after reconnecting with the front quartet, before they were caught by the chasing peloton.
Soon after the reconnection was made, Greaves, Robin Persaud, Williams, Christopher Holder, DeNobrega, Eastman, Hinds, Jeffrey and Choo-Wee-Nam made their move to the front, but they were caught as they approached the Mahaica Bridge.
Upon crossing the bridge, Choo-Wee-Nam, Robin Persaud, Gordon and Simon moved to the front of the peloton and worked together until they approached Plaisance, where Robin Persaud made his solo move to front, while the other three were wheeled in by a chasing peloton.
That peloton which included the eventual winner, Simon, Greaves, Williams, Holder, Hinds, Jeffrey, Gordon and Wazim Gafoor, connected with Persaud, before Eastman displayed his sprinting prowess by taking the stage away from Williams, Persaud and Hinds in that order and of the five female cyclists who started the event yesterday morning, only Naomi Singh (4h.28m:49secs) crossed the finish line .
