BERBICE cyclist Romelo Crawford rode tactically to win the Guyana Cycling Federation’s (GCF) 2018 season-opener 65-mile points’ race which was held yesterday.

Having placed second in Saturday’s Ricks and Sari Agro Industries-sponsored 35-lap race in the National Park, Crawford used that warm-up event as a feeling-out process for yesterday’s 65-mile race.

Sensing that the event was one that would have been a testing one and involved flat and hilly terrain, the Berbician bided his time among the chasing pack while on the upward journey to Long Creek on the Linden Highway.

This was after Andrew Hicks, Deoraj Garbarran and Hamza Eastman had set the pace from the start of the race on Homestretch Avenue and the trio worked in tandem and between them, they won seven of the 20 prime prizes that were on offer.
On turning back to finish on Homestretch Avenue, the three cyclists kept pushing , but as they approached Splashmins Resort on the Highway, they were wheeled-in by a chasing pack of five cyclists which included Crawford.

The bunch of eight started to play `Cat and Mouse’ for a number of miles, but Crawford decided to jump the others. He was however caught up by Jamal John, last year’s top cyclist of the year, and the duo worked in tandem and kept extending their lead.
As the peloton turned onto Mandela Avenue, Hicks jumped the chasing pack and closed in on the leading duo, but his effort was too late and Crawfrord and John found a second wind and propelled away from him.

In the end, Crawford started the sprint to the finish line from approximately 250 metres from the line and won comfortably ahead of John. Hicks finished a comfortable third, while the sprint for the minor positions was a battle between four cyclists and in the end, Curtis Dey, who won Saturday’s Ricks and Sari 35-lap race in the National Park, prevailed over Hamza Eastman, Paul DeNobrega, Deoraj Garbarran and Briton John, respectively. John was the first junior cyclist to cross the finish line.

In the Masters’ category, GCF’s president Horrace Burrowes finished first, ahead of Ralph Williams and Junior Niles, respectively.
Overall, Eastman won 13 prime prizes, while Garbarran won five and Hicks two (Michael DaSilva).