Williams dethroned, `Obeahman’
Jeffrey is new `King’ of the road

RAYNAUTH `Obeahman’ Jeffrey defied the odds and single-handedly won the Guyana Cycling Federation’s (GCF) senior 103-mile road race championship which was staged yesterday along the Georgetown, East Bank Demerara and Linden/Soesdyke Highway.
Jeffrey returned a winning time of three hours, 59 minutes and 21 seconds in winning the grueling event ahead of Paul DeNobrega, Hamza Eastman, 2016 champion Geron Williams, Orville Hinds and Michael Anthony, respectively.
Speaking to Chronicle Sport after the event which was contested in ideal weather conditions for cycling, Jeffrey said from the start of the race on Homestretch Avenue, he decided to take a front position which he maintained until the end of the race which proceeded from the starting point to Camp Saweyo on the Linden Soesdyke Highway before returning to the place of origin for the finish.
According to Jeffrey, on taking the lead position, he never looked back to see his nearest rival, and as such, he did not know what was going on behind him as he just kept pushing himself.
According to some of the other top finishers, the peloton was approximately three minutes behind Jeffrey on the downward journey and they could have pulled him (Jeffrey) in, but they failed to work in tandem which resulted in Jeffrey winning with almost 500-metres in hand.
According to a motorcyclist/cycle enthusiast who followed the race, after turning back, the peloton could have caught up with Jeffrey before turning on the Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara road, but it appeared as though the riders in the peloton were depending on Williams to take up the attack, but instead, the Team Foundation (USA) rider decided to drop to the back of the peloton and no one else took up the challenge.
In the end, Jeffrey,who along with Williams, DeNobrega and Eastman are all based in the United States, went on to win unchallenged.
Asked how he felt about winning the road title, Jeffrey said he is elated, since in 2015 he was in line to win but suffered a broken collar bone from a crash and dropped out. He said that in 2016, he won the individual time trial, but Williams was better than him and he (Williams) won, “but this year it is different, I am the King of the road”.
Asked to comment on his performance, Williams said he arrived in Guyana on Friday morning and was a bit tired “But you can’t get it right all the time”.