COLOMBIA’S Matteo Garcia, riding for Trinidadian club Team Raiders, delivered a performance of sheer dominance to win the 42nd Independence Three-Stage Cycle Road Race, which concluded on Sunday morning. Garcia achieved the remarkable feat of winning all three stages of the demanding event.
Garcia completed the approximately 160-mile race in a total time of six hours, 18 minutes, and 47 seconds (6:18:47), showcasing consistent strength across the two days of competition.

His Team Raiders teammate, Jaiden Naves of Trinidad, secured the second position overall, finishing in 6:24:00.
Guyanese cyclist Robin Persaud, competing in the Master’s (35-50) category, claimed a commendable third place with a total time of 6:29:29.
Rounding out the top six in the general classification were Aaron Newton, Adam Alexander, and Paul DeNobrega.

Garcia’s clean sweep mirrors the achievement of Guyana’s Briton John in 2024, who did not compete in this year’s edition.
The race, organised by the National Sports Commission and featuring 45 cyclists, covered three distinct stages:

Stage One: A 45-mile race from Corriverton to New Amsterdam. Garcia opened his winning account with a time of one hour, 41 minutes, and 28 seconds. He narrowly edged out local favourite Aaron Newton of KFC Evolution in a thrilling sprint finish, with Newton just fractions behind in 1:41:31. Adam Alexander, competing for another Trinidadian club, was third in 1:42:17. Curtis Dey, Robin Persaud, and Jaiden Neaves also featured in the top six for this stage.

Stage Two: A challenging 62-mile event from D’Edward Village to Liliendaal. Garcia again proved strongest, finishing in two hours, 20 minutes, and 36 seconds. Seasoned campaigner and eventual third-place finisher overall, Robin Persaud, was second in this stage, four seconds adrift in two hours, 20 minutes and 40 seconds.
Stage Three: A circuit race held in Providence. Garcia completed his dominant performance by winning this final stage, sealing his overall title.
He clocked 2:16:43 seconds.

Following the conclusion of the race, Director of Sport Steve Ninvalle praised all the cyclists who competed in the 42nd edition of the event and assured them that the National Sports Commission would continue to be a key partner.