By Michelangelo Jacobus
“ONE Saturday when I was about fifteen-years-old I decided to go along with a friend to the National Park where I competed in the BMX race. I got second place in my very first race and after then I was hooked; I went back every Saturday since because this one guy kept beating me. I eventually got better and kept winning.”
That is how Team Coco’s Jamual John began his career in cycling. The lanky rider whose slender frame belies his stamina has stuck with Team Coco’s for the five years that he has been on the cycling scene and recently in an interview said that his future lies with Team Coco’s.
Reflecting on 2017, a year in which he racked up the most wins by a Guyanese cyclist, went undefeated in road races on the West Coast of Demerara and finished as the Best Senior Cyclist of 2017, John revealed that while he did not get to go overseas to compete, he instead decided that he would go all out to win everything that he could in Guyana on the local circuit.
This came as no easy task with John having his hands full; a rivalry with Paul DeNobrega that provided great entertainment to cycling fans and the riders themselves.
John attributes his success to hard work, dedication and his drive to win, as well as improvement in certain areas of his cycling repertoire; one area that he improved greatly in has been his sprinting, which was one of his weaker attributes.
The increased speed along with his already insane endurance and uncanny ability to stick with the pack and use it to his advantage ensured that he tore up the local circuit last year.
This year however, John maintained that he is looking to go one better by strengthening his grasp on the top rung of cycling in Guyana as well as going overseas to compete.
With an eye on the Caribbean Cycling Championships slated for the first half of this year, John has been putting in extra time on the roadways training twice daily. The 20-year-old often rides as far as the Linden/Soesdyke Highway and back to Georgetown as he seeks to condition his body for the rigors of the international circuits.
In addition, the youngster has aspirations of training in Colombia but has hit a snag in terms of sponsorship, something that has long been a major obstacle in local cycling.
John has pledged that once he secures sponsorship and the requisite support from the relevant authorities and individuals he will go above and beyond to ensure that he helps to pedal Guyana onto the international cycling scene. However, this cannot be done without a proper support system.
