By Calvin Roberts
JUDGING from his recent form, defending champion Paul DeNobrega yesterday told Chronicle Sport he is looking to make a successful defence of his Roraima Bikers Club/Guyana Cycling Federation-organised, Digicel-sponsored ‘Cancer Awareness Ride’ which pedals off at 08:00hrs tomorrow.

The 80-mile event which is in its second year and is being held to coincide with the Guyana Cancer Society’s month of activities will see the junior and senior cyclists pedal off from Four Corners in Linden at 08:00hrs, where they will proceed to Carifesta Avenue, circling the outer circuit of the National Park twice. The winner will take home $240 000.
Ladies and Veteran cyclists will move off from Splashmin’s Fun Park at the same time and proceed to the same finish line as their senior counterparts, completing a distance of 48 miles. Lucrative prizes which have not yet been disclosed, will be up for grabs.
In an invited comment with DeNobrega, he was not hesitant to declare his feelings as it relates to confidence and fitness, knowing very well the level of the opposition that is out there.
“I am feeling confident about winning, even though I have not been training in the way I normally train, since I am not in the pink of condition as in last year’s race, but I am still optimistic of coming away with the win or even a top-three placing.
“I will be trying my best to get a top podium spot and with that in mind, my aim is to ride smart, look for the moves and make sure I am in a position to stick with the moves when they are being made, since I know many other cyclists will be coming to stake their claim for the top prize,” said DeNobrega.
In order to further assess the field, the 19-year-old former Caribbean Junior Cycling Champion will be competing in today’s Payless Variety Store feature 35-lap event around the inner circuit of the National Park, while constructing in his mind, a game plan for tomorrow’s event.
But there is National Road Race and Time Trial champion Raynauth Jeffrey, who has been in tremendous form this season, along with Alanzo Greaves, Robin Persaud, brothers Orville and Delroy Hinds, Warren ‘40’ McKay, Raymond Newton, Godfrey Pollydore and Rastaff O’Selmo, who will all be looking to upstage DeNobrega and take the top prize.
Add Paul Choo-Wee-Nam, Alex Mendez, Eric Sankar, Christopher Holder and Geron Williams, along with former Time Trial champion Jude Bentley who rarely trains but when he competes he does very well irrespective of the category, and calling a winner would be a Herculean task.
The efforts of the junior cyclists, who will be competing for supremacy alongside their senior counterparts, must not be forgotten as well, based on the present form of Michael Anthony, Shaquille Agard, Hamza Eastman, Kravitz Jeffrey, Mario King and Alanzo Ambrose.
DeNobrega was a junior rider when he won the Open category of this event which was staged as a 25-lap affair last year and that can serve as a motivator to the other junior cyclists, who will face the starter tomorrow morning.
One should not forget, also, the likes of Stephen Fernandes, a former national hockey player who has been turning heads lately in the cycling fraternity, springing numerous upsets on his more illustrious and seasoned competitors in both the Open and Veteran categories.
Defending champion Junior Niles, Kennard Lovell, Shameer Baksh, Ian ‘Dumb Boy’ Jackson and Linden Blackman are all expected to challenge and halt the present winning spree of Fernandes, if he decides to ride in the Veterans and not the Open category of this event, while on the distaff side, Naomi Singh is expected to be in the saddle, competing against Hazina Bharrat, Claire Fraser-Greene and Toshawna Doris.
Meanwhile, cyclists and club managers are asked to note that registration for this event closes off today at 16:00hrs at Digicel’s Fort and Barrack Street, Kingston-based office, with the organisers having a zero tolerance on completing registration at the line.
What needs to be noted also is the sponsor would be providing a neutral vehicle which will be used as a feeding station throughout the race, with the closing-off point being Vlissengen Road and Carifesta Avenue, when the cyclists would proceed on the first of two laps.
Added to that, Race Coordinator Brian Allen is appealing to all race enthusiasts not to follow the cyclists beyond this junction, but rather use the Seawall road and park their vehicles along Camp Street, while spectators and enthusiasts are asked to use the Northern carriageway at the finish line, in order to prevent any accidents.