JUNIOR Niles in a time of two hours, eleven minutes and twenty-nine seconds (2:11:29), won the 2nd annual Banks Malta Supreme cycle road race.Niles out-sprinted Hamza Eastman to the finish line to take the fifty-mile event in Berbice on Sunday. Godfrey Pollydore who dropped out of the two-hundred meters final ‘sprint to the finish line’ was a close third.

Twenty-two riders started the race and were locked in a bunch for less than a mile after they were sent off. Six of the athletes used the steep climb of the Canje Bridge to break away from the pack, first out was Pollydore followed by Niles and Neil Reece of Berbice, closely followed by Romalo Crawford, Kurt La Rose and Eastman.
The next 20 miles saw the ‘six pack’ in the leading position as they opened up on the tail. However at Adventure Village, Corentyne, Reece, La Rose and Crawford could not keep up with the scorching pace and gradually dropped out of the bunch.
Meanwhile Niles, Eastman and Pollydore, who reached the turn-around point at Nand Persaud Rice Mills at Number 36 Village, Corentyne, were well ahead and increased their speed on their way back while being pushed by strong winds.
The second group of Reece, La Rose and Crawford had to sprint the last two hundred meters to determine their positions at the finish line.
Crawford out-sprinted La Rose to take the bragging rights as being the best sprinter in Berbice. Reece who finished with them ended sixth overall. Wasim Hasnoo and Syborne Fernandes rounded off the top eight finishers.
In the Juvenile category, Crawford was first ahead of Odrell Ross, while Eastman was the first junior to complete the event.
For the veterans, Fernandes was 1st while Shurland Sue-Hang came in 2nd position.
The sprint point prizes were shared by Pollydore (3), Niles and Eastman (2) and Reece (1).

(Michael Khan)