`The wheels came off and Gordon was called home’ says cycling great Neville Hunte

By Joe Chapman

IN a fitting tribute to the recent death of Guyana’s cycling great, 67-year-old Aubrey ‘Gibby’ Gordon, a flurry of ringing endorsements were delivered as he was laid to rest. Several former cyclists converged at the Bergen Funeral Inc. in New York last Saturday to say a final farewell to Gordon.
Among those present were President of the Guyana Cycling Federation, Horace Burrowes; Gordon’s long-time coach and mentor, Victor Rutherford; former teammate, James ‘Joelyn’ Joseph, and, arguably, Guyana’s greatest pedal cyclist, Neville Hunte.
Hunte, the former outstanding National Champion, disclosed that he was doing the tribute on behalf of the cycling brothers and friends from around the world who sent condolences to Gordon’s family, while noting “Gibby was a Guyana Cycling racing champion, United States of America and World Masters cycling champion, who dedicated himself to cycling for over 50 years.”

Hunte said some of the tributes sent conveyed wonderful words of grief, condolences and much commentaries about his warm personality and kindness.
Few of those commentaries Hunte read were, “Value Preferred Cycling Centre – Aubrey was a good and kind person. With his grace and determination, his legacy will forever be etched in our hearts and in our community.”
One former World Champion reportedly pointed out, “the Pennsylvania Cycling Committee was shocked big time. Aubrey was a respected friend, it’s a tough one to recover from.” Another opined, “I have raced Aubrey for over 50 years. Aubrey generally was nice, soft spoken and it was always a pleasure to see him at the big events.”

Hunte recalled some of the big events where Gordon rode for Guyana: “Pan Am Games in Mexico 1975, I was there with him; he was a young kid. The Goodwill Games in Moscow in 1979, Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1984 and 1992 when he was Guyana’s flag bearer in Barcelona, Spain, United States of America National Champion on three occasions, World Masters Gold Medallist in Sydney, Australia in 2009.”
According to Hunte, “at 15 years old, the Danny Chee family encouraged his career; Chee’s mother bought him a bike so that he would practise and race. At 17, because of his excellent performance, the Guyana Cycling Federation sent him as part of a cycling team to compete in a three-day cycling event. A lot of young cyclists from Guyana never went abroad but he did with us.”

Hunte pointed out, “this is Aubrey narrating now, not me. The 1975 trip to Barbados by Guyana was spearheaded by Neville Hunte who recorded a famous win against the world champion Daniel Morelon of France. It was a three-day championship with riders from all over the Caribbean and Europe and America and we had a good team. In fact, we were declared champions of the Caribbean after that. When we returned here, we had a great reception and writeup in the newspapers. On a personal note, my two third place finishes were enough motivation to me, they were exposure to me I must say. More-so the great Neville Hunte told me I was a good rider and must continue to train hard, not to follow bad company and I fell in love with the sport.”
Hunte declared, “so when I saw the newspaper writeup 50 years after I felt dammed, after 50 years he remembered that? Aubrey got something about me dammed! Over to Costco Optometry Department to have new glasses. He said I was great.”

Hunte had indeed beaten the then revered France’s revered World Sprint Champion, Daniel Morelon in the 2,000 metres clash at the Barbados held ‘International Cycling Meet’ at the National Stadium.
“Aubrey was a legend… he could not have done it without the support of his family and friends. He rode long, many miles, many countries. The wheels came off and Gordon was called home,” Hunte added.
Reached for a comment, one of the best cyclists ever from Guyana, Joelyn Joseph, who lives also in the United States, offered: “Aubrey was a good person, a fierce flawless competitor. Very team oriented and I am kind of upset not because of his death, but because of the sports people, present and past, they do not recognise Olympians like Aubrey and others.

“I don’t want you to honour anyone when they are dead. At the 2024 World Masters, he went with me, suit up and still showed the tenacity to compete. He never gave up, he was a true soldier.”
Florida-based former champion cyclist and coach, Victor Rutherford, stated, “A life well lived, we have lost a major artery in the cycling body. RIP Champ!”

GCF president, Horace Burrowes, who was there, also had posted on social media, “Mr. Gordon’s remarkable legacy continue to inspire and motivate future generations of cyclists. Rest in peace dear friend, Mr. Aubrey Gordon.”
The long list of former cyclists who bade farewell to Gordon, included Neville and Cyril Hunte, Joelyn Joseph, Randolph Toussaint, Horace Burrowes, Wayne Henry, Byron and Bertram James , Geron Williams, Errol McLean, Scott Savory, Cecil Bernard, Danny Chee, Christmas Holder, Gordon Kennedy, Sammy Waterman, Johnny Joseph, Johnny Edgill, Johnny Creavalle, Christopher Chung Ten, Oscar Sandiford, Brenton Baker, Jaipaul, Raynauth Jeffrey, Philip Piggott, James Mason, Mark Wills, Claude Callender, Lester Reid, Keith Robertson, David Thong, George Romain, Myles Rogner , Peter Sue, Carl Nelson and Victor Rutherford.
The body of the late Gordon was laid to rest at the Pinelawn Memorial Park.