TEAM Coco’s Jamal John opened the 2017 cycling season on a winning note, when the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF) staged its first race with a 75-mile road race yesterday.John returned a very slow three hours 20 minutes 23 seconds for the event, which is usually completed in two hours 45 minutes and was unchallenged as he crossed the finish line on Homestretch Avenue way ahead of his main rivals.
John’s team-mate, Paul DeNobrega, placed second by outsprinting Howard Eastman and Berbician Andrew Hicks almost one minute after John had crossed the finish line. Brighton John placed fifth, some nine minutes after John.

There were no sprint prizes as is normal for such road races as it was reported in another section of the media that Guyana Cycling Federation’s president, Horrace Burrowes ,wants to introduce a points system for six races planned for this year by the GCF and based on points accumulated by individual cyclists, those cyclists with the highest amount of points will be considered for selection to represent Guyana at regional and international events.
Yesterday’s event attracted a mere 18 starters and got underway from Homestretch Avenue and proceeded to Dora on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway, before returning to the place of origin for the finish.
After being sent on their way, as usual, there was a jostle for the lead and the top four finishers – John, DeNobrega, Eastman and Hicks — went to the fore of the affair at Diamond, East Bank Demerara and stayed there throughout the remainder of the 75-mile event, working in tandem sharing the lead.
However, while on Mandela Avenue on the downward journey, John jumped DeNobrega, Eastman and Hicks and opened up a sizeable lead, which he never relinquished and went on to sail past the finish line all by himself.
Eastman started the sprint for the minor positions, but was overtaken by the second place finisher, DeNobrega, just about 25 metres from the finish line.
In the junior category, Brighton John, who placed fifth overall, was named top junior ahead of Andealie Hodge and Jerome Stephens respectively, while Leer Nunes was the first veteran to complete the gruelling course. Second in this category was Eion `Dumb Boy’ Jackson and Junior Niles was third.
The top performers received no trophies or prize monies for their efforts.