THE Guyana Cycling Federation’s (GCF) National individual and road race championships will wheel off tomorrow at 07:00hrs from Montrose, East Coast Demerara (Starlite drive-in cinema).The annual event, which is normally used to select cyclists to represent Guyana at the Regional and International levels, is expected to be a keenly contested affair as several riders have been excelling since the 2015 season started.
The National championships will get under way with the Individual Pro-Log time trial, a distance of four miles. The cyclists will pedal off from Montrose and finish at Conversation Tree.
There will be five categories of riders facing the starter at varying hours.
Competitors in all five categories will start off from outside the Ocean View International Hotel and proceed to Celina’s Resort after passing the Russian Embassy and return to Sparendaam to complete one circuit.
These five categories of cyclists will have to go around the same circuit three more times to complete 21.7 miles before the winner is decided.
The veterans will wheel off at 08:45hrs and will do seven laps around the same course (50 miles) while the juniors, who will be sent on their way at the same time as the veterans, will do six laps, a distance of 42 miles.
The seniors, on the other hand, will contest a 92.86-mile event or 13 laps around the same circuit and they will be sent on their way at 11:30hrs.
Raynauth `Obeahman’ Jeffrey is the defending champion of the senior men’s individual time trial while Romelo Crawford won the juveniles’ category last year.
Raymond Newton won the veterans’ category and Clair Fraser-Green the ladies’ title.
For the road race, Geron Williams won the senior category last year, Andrew Hicks won the juvenile category, Stephano Husbands won the junior, Newton the veteran category and Fraser-Green for the ladies.