FOUR days remain before the start of the two-day Independence cycle road race and race organiser Hassan Mohamed said he is very certain that this year’s event would attract a record-breaking number of entries.

Speaking to Chronicle Sport yesterday, Mohamed said since the event, which was first staged in 1983 and has become an annual one, has grown with respect to the number of cyclists participating over the years he expects that this year the number will increase from the 73 last year.
When the race was first staged in 1983, it was an upright cycle race as there were hardly any racing cycles in the country and that year, Bissoon Pharbudin won the event that attracted approximately 40 starters.
The defending champion for this year’s event is Barbadian Jamal Eastman who clocked six hours, 28 minutes 13 seconds for the 175.1-mile event last year, finishing ahead of Geron Williams and Orville Hinds.
Eastman won the first stage (Corriverton, Berbice to New Amsterdam) last year in a time of one hour 43 minutes 05 seconds. Alanzo Greaves placed second, Hinds third.
Eastman also won the second stage (Rosignol, West Coast Berbice to Carifesta Avenue, Georgetown) in a time of two hours, 34 minutes, 31 seconds. Second was Geron Williams and third was Robin Persaud who won the third stage (Kara Kara, Linden Highway to Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown) in a time of two hours 40 minutes 54 seconds.
Second was Andrew Reece and third was Christopher Holder.
The Corriverton to New Amsterdam first stage is a distance of 46.6 miles, while the second stage (Rosignol to Georgetown is 60.4 miles and the final stage (Kara Kara to Georgetown) is 64.5 miles.
Eastman is also the current record holder for the first stage by registering one hour 38 minutes 31 seconds in 2011, finishing ahead of Team Coco’s Yasmani Pol. However, Pol turned the tables for the second stage, recording a record-breaking time of two hours 15 minutes 31 seconds that very year.
The third stage record is being held by Robin Persaud who clocked two hours 40 minutes 54 seconds in winning the stage last year to break the 2012 record of Ivan Dominquez of Team Coco who had clocked two hours 42 minutes 39 seconds In 2011, Pol had recorded an overall time of six hours 39 minutes 34 seconds, while in 2012, Dominquez registered an overall time of six hours, 44 minutes, 55 seconds.
In 1998, Godfrey Pollydore clocked an overall time of six hours, 54 minutes, 54 seconds.
Mohamed said so far this year, he has received 51 entries but is confident it will exceed last year’s figure by Friday.
He said six cyclists from Anguilla along with another six from Team Coco that is based in Miami, USA, have assured their participation and he is awaiting word from Trinidad and Tobago and other Caribbean countries.
According to Mohamed, preparations for the annual event is moving smoothly and reminded that transportation to Berbice for the start of the first stage will move from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport office, situated at Main and Quamina Streets at noon on Friday.
Water for the cyclists and officials throughout the event will be provided by Demerara Distillers Limited – an entity which has been on board for a number of years.
The event is being sponsored by the National Sports Commission in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport and the Guyana Cycling Federation.
The first stage wheels off at 07:30hrs on Saturday, while the second stage will move off at 14:00hrs the same day.
Stage three is set to get under way at 08:00hrs on Sunday.

(By Michael DaSilva)