STEPHEN Fernandes will be hard-pressed on Saturday to make a successful defence of the DeSinco Trading-sponsored feature 35-lap cycle race when national cycle coach Hassan Mohamed runs off the 14th Annual programme around the inner circuit of the National Park beginning at 09:00hrs.

Fernandes, who won the feature event last year with a time of one hour 24 minutes 17.31 seconds, will have to be wary of a host of cyclists, including Michael Anthony, Paul DeNobrega, Raynauth Jeffrey, Marlon `Fishy’ Williams, Hamza Eastman and Orville Hinds, who have all been performing creditably since the 2014 cycle season started.
Anthony recently won the gruelling Victor Macedo Memorial 70-mile road race which was staged along the East Bank Demerara and the Linden/Soesdyke Highway on Sunday.
In winning the overall event, Anthony also carted off the junior title.
Eastman, on the other hand, won a 35-lap race in the National Park two Saturdays ago and returned last Saturday to win the Irene Benjamin’s 75th Birth Anniversary 60-mile road race in Berbice.
Apart from the duo, DeNobrega, Williams and Jeffrey have all been performing exceedingly well, so Fernandes, who is of a veteran’s age but competes against his younger counterparts, will really have to ride if he is to come out victorious.
On Saturday also, Raul Leal will be defending his juvenile 10-lap title which he won last year with a time of 26 minutes 35.70 seconds, while Raymond Newton, who won the veterans’ five-lap event last year in 11 minutes 37 seconds, is expected to get stiff competition from Junior Niles, Kennard Lovell and Linden Blackman among others.
Richard Charles won the five-lap race for mountain bikers last year in a time of 11 minutes 56.04 seconds, but chances are he might not be able to make a successful defence of his title this time around.