—Defending champion Raynauth Jeffrey settles for third

IN what can be described as sheer dominance, Team Coco’s Jamal John completely dominated the Guyana Cycling Federation’s Digicel sponsored Cancer Awareness Week annual cycle road race staged around the outer circuit of the National Park yesterday.John,who got support from his teammates,returned two hours 54 minutes 11.72 seconds in winning the event ahead of Team Evolution’s Raul Leal.In the process, John won four of the five prime prizes that were up for grabs, while Leal won the other.
From the start of the 30-lap race, John and Leal went to the fore and by the completion of the 10th lap, the duo opened an approximately two-minute lead on the peloton which they maintained to the end of the gruelling event.
The main chasing pack that made up the peloton was joined by the second chasing pack with 18 laps remaining, but instead of upping the pace and trying to connect with the two leaders, the pack of more than 25 riders went to `Sleep’ and allowed John and Leal to open up their lead which they enjoyed to the end.
However, with one lap remaining, John and Leal broke into a match sprint mode and as the two rounded the turn for the finish, Leal went pass John who immediately responded and narrowly edged the Team Evolution rider to the finish.
Both John and Leal had lapped the entire field after 18 laps and so there was a race on for the minor places and in the process, the defending champion, Team Coco’s, Raynauth `Obeah man’ Jeffrey outsprinted Team Evolution’s Orville Hinds to take third. Christopher Griffith,also of Team Evolution,placed fifth.
Team United’s Raphael Leung was the first junior to cross the finish line, while Jornel Yearwood finished second and Christopher Cornelius third.
Junior Niles of Team Coco’s won the veterans Under-45 race ahead of Warren McKay and Jaikaran Sukhai respectively, while in the veterans’ over 45 years age group, Raymond Newton won ahead of Eion `Dumb Boy’ Jackson and Kennard Lovell in that order.
Meanwhile, the 2016 cycling season will close next weekend with the staging of the National Sports Commission/Ministry of Health/Guyana Cycling Federation’s `Ride for Life’ Three-Stage cycle race which commences on Saturday morning with a 65-mile road race from Georgetown to Mahaicony and back and continues with a 10-mile individual time-trial on Saturday afternoon.