—Cornelius, Newton win junior and veteran categories

AFTER enduring a one-year ban from the sport he loves, Alonzo Greaves bounced back to win the final stage of the National Sports Commission’s (NSC) sponsored Three-Stage cycle road race which culminated yesterday around the outer circuit of the National Park.Greaves,who just completed a one-year suspension for using banned substances during last year’s `Ride For Life’ Five-Stage race, placed second in the first stage on Saturday; a 65-mile road race from Carifesta Avenue, Georgetown, to Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara and back.He was then among the top eight finishers in the 3.5 miles individual Time Trial on Saturday also before leading the challenge during the final stage which was reduced from 30-laps around the outer circuit of the National park to 20 laps.
Despite barely edging Team Coco’s Hamza Eastman to the line by the width of a bicycle tube in winning the final stage, Agard was adjudged the overall winner.
Agard went into yesterday’s final stage as the race leader and only had to stay with whosoever launched an attack and he did just that and in the end, registered an overall winning time of four hours 40 minutes 25 seconds.
Team Evolution’s Michael Anthony was placed second overall, while Greaves, Eastman and Walter Grant-Stuart occupied the other top four places respectively.
Christopher Cornelius won the junior category of the event by virtue of him placing second among the juniors in the first stage and finishing third in the final stage yesterday,in addition to riding outstandingly in the individual time-trial on Saturday.
Cornelius’ overall time for the event was four hours 43 minutes .07 seconds. Second in this category was Andrew Hicks and finishing third was Raphael Leung.
The veterans’ category was dominated by Raymond Newton who completed the three-stage event in four hours, 43 minutes 33 seconds.
Second in this category was Paul Cho-Wee-Nam and placing third was Junior Niles.
After being sent on their way for the start of the third stage yesterday by Director of Sport Christopher Jones, Greaves made his presence felt by establishing a lead in company with Eastman who subsequently was sucked in by the peloton.
Silvio Inniss and Junior Niles then joined Greaves at the head of affairs and remained in front for the next three laps.
It was during the fifth lap that Williams, Eastman, Paul DeNobrega and Michael Anthony joined Greaves at the head of affairs and together the group worked in tandem and established a sizeable lead over the others.
After completing seven laps, Williams went to front but was wheeled in two laps later and Greaves and DeNobrega separated themselves from the remainder of the riders and at the conclusion of the 14th lap, they enjoyed a 65-second lead on the others and from there it was felt that the race was all over, but the peloton had other ideas as they made a connection with six laps remaining.
However, their effort was short-lived, as Greaves, Eastman, Anthony and Agard took advantage of a Williams’ punctured back wheel,which he changed but had too much to do to reconnect and Greaves went on to edge Eastman by the width of a cycle tube to win the stage, but still had to settle for fourth overall.