-John relegated to second position after infraction

CHRISTOPHER Griffith was awarded first place yesterday afternoon after rival Briton John was penalised for an infraction on the finish line of their team Alanis 60-mile road race from Georgetown to Half-Way Tree, Mahaicony and back.
The Team Evolution rider, who has been consistent in the previous races this year, held his own against the more established John after they separated from the pack approximately 14 miles from the finish line. The two talented youngsters rode together up to the University of Guyana, when John made a sprint to get away, but Griffith caught him and employed the tactic of staying just behind—whereby benefitting from wind reduction.
John again decided to breakaway and was again caught. The two riders continued to stay close until the final 300M when John, known for his sprinting abilities, darted off on the left side of Carifesta Avenue, but Griffith powered through and attempted to pass him from the inside for the win, John limited the space, which resulted in Griffith riding very close to the edge of the road.

John won the race by the slimmest of margins, but according to GCF Racing Director Malcolm Sonaram, because of his infraction on the line, he was relegated to second place. Curtis Dey finished third, Alex Mendes fourth, Paul Chooweenam fifth, Kwame Ridley sixth, Ian Jackson seventh, Michael Anthony eighth, Jaikarran Sukhai ninth and Steve Fernandes 10th. The race commemorated the birth anniversary of the late Jason Choweenam (the younger brother of Paul), who was a successful junior cyclist in the 1980s. Jason died in 1998 at the age of 24. Although the second half was a battle between John and Griffith, for the first half of the race they played catch up as the quartet of Fernandes, Choweenam, Walter-Grant Stewart and Sukhai were in control.

The foursome built a one minute plus lead. In the latter stages of the ride down, Andrew Hicks managed to pull away from the chasing pack, but then that group, which included Griffith and Briton John changed into second gear and the chase was on. As they turned at the halfway mark, it was obvious that the leaders would be caught. When the senior riders were caught, it was by the two top finishers and Ridley and the seven rode on for a short while before John surged ahead with Griffith following him close behind. Both youngsters were short-listed for the Caribbean Road Race Cycling Championships scheduled for Cuba in June and both will look to continue their rivalry when the GCF host the three-stage National Independence Championships next weekend. Pre-race favourite and the winner of the last GCF competition Jamual John suffered a puncture in the first half and opted to drop out of the race.