AT least 30 cyclists are expected to pedal off today when the annual Forbes Burnham Cycling Memorial Road Race is held this morning.

The event, which is the first for the cycling fraternity for 2021, was given permission last week by the National Task Force, but under strict protocols.

This includes having the event run off between the hours of 07:00hrs and 10:00hrs and having only cyclists and event coordinators at the location.

In a correspondence from the National COVID-19 Task Force Secretariat to the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF) it was stated that “adherence to all other COVID-19 emergency measures are mandatory”.

The event is sponsored by the Forbes Burnham Foundation and supervised by the Flying Stars Cycling Club.

Club member William Howard told Chronicle Sport yesterday afternoon cyclists have registered for all three categories: – Open, Veterans and Juniors.

He said that the race is scheduled to start at 07:00hrs.

Cyclists will be journeying from Carifesta Avenue to Belfield on the East Coast of Demerara then back to the starting venue – an almost 35-mile journey.

The event is normally a multi-leg race.  In 2020, Team Evolution’s Marlon Williams won the two-leg event. Although he had placed first in the Linden to Georgetown race, he had to settle for sixth in the Carifesta Avenue to Belfield-and-back leg.

That leg was won by his club-mate Christopher Griffith, followed by Andrew Hicks and Marcus Keiler.