– Gopilall cops second stage

TEAM Coco’s cyclist Jamual John is the overall leader in the United We Stand Cycling Club’s Independence 3-Stage Road Race after the first two stages and over 107 miles of strenuous riding were completed yesterday in less than favourable weather conditions.

John along with Team Evolution’s Paul DeNobrega and Trojan PSL rider Curtis ‘Chappy’ Dey made their mark in the first stage finishing first, second and third in that order after the 65-mile race from Ocean View Hotel on the East Coast of Demerara to Mahaicony and back.

John’s winning time in the first stage was two hours 31 minutes 22 seconds.

After outsprinting DeNobrega and Dey who were close on his wheels, John finished fifth in the second leg around the circuit of D’Urban Park.

However, the five-minute gap the trio had on the peloton, minus Christopher ‘Chicken Legs’ Griffith, was good enough to keep their lead intact despite the impressive second-leg display of 17-year-old Trojan PSL rider Ajay Gopilall.

The Berbician brought his talents to the city and obliterated the field by more than two minutes to win the 30-lap second stage in two hours 22 minutes 31 seconds.

Gopilall took control of the race at its halfway mark by switching to beast mode and never let up after youngster Andrew Hicks had led the race for almost 14 laps. Dey outsprinted the remnants of the peloton with Alonzo Ambrose (third), DeNobrega (fourth) and John (fifth) close behind.

Gopilall sits in the first junior position but could not topple the trio. He, however, managed to shave off more than two minutes and earned the respect of the smattering of fans that lined Homestretch Avenue.

The United We Stand Cycle Club (UWSCC) organised fixture is wide open as the riders head into the finale today around the outer circuit of the National Park.

The promising youngster Gopilall, who moved overall from ninth to fourth, will look to move up in the standings in today’s final leg which rolls off at 09:30hrs.