BRITON John was left out of the national team scheduled to travel to Cuba next week although he was the first player selected, according to new information from Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF). The omission of Briton John left many people questioning the selection process.

The national cyclist, who won the annual Kadir Mohamed Memorial Cycling road race two Sundays ago, had been scorching the roadways and circuits this season.

Last week the federation named a seven-member team (five cyclists, a manager and a coach) to compete on the Spanish-speaking Island at the 19th edition of the Caribbean Cycling Championships, scheduled from November 1 to 3.

In a press release this week, GCF opted to clear the air.  It said that GCF president Linden Dowridge and Racing Secretary Malcolm Sonaram “revealed that Briton John was the first cyclist to be selected along with Jamual John, Michael Anthony, Curtis Dey, and Paul DeNobrega”.

Nevertheless, a lack of clarity on his participation led the federation to select a replacement.

The release added that according to Sonaram “a correspondence was sent out to the respective parent clubs of the cyclists via email on October 3. However, We Stand United, the club that Briton John belongs to, did not make a response confirming his participation and up to the deadline date for Guyana’s confirmation of participation at the Championships, GCF was not in receipt of any correspondence from the club”.

Selecting a replacement was also fairly done, according to the release.

“The GCF was then forced to select a replacement, which led to Christopher Griffith being listed. According to the ranking system of the federation (adopted from Guyana Cycling News’ points table) the next choice should have been Andre ‘Padlock’ Green. However, Green currently has two disciplinary matters pending, thus the inclusion of Griffith on the team.

“Another young talent, Romello Crawford was not included on the team due to his release from the GCF to race with the PSL Club in Trinidad and Tobago from October 1 until the end of November.”

Meanwhile, the cycling fraternity was able to pedal over another speed bump en route to the championships.

“…Another hurdle in making up a full team to send to Cuba, was the lack of sponsorship for Jamual John, something which was remedied at the last minute after cycling enthusiasts heard of his plight,” the release noted.

In respect to the funding of the trip, GCF had to rely on sponsorship for the respective cyclists and officials. This is due to the current executives’ inability to access GCF’s bank account – something that is currently being worked on according to the release.

Moving ahead, GCF boss Dowridge has stated that there will be clear criteria for the federation’s team selection process, which will see cyclists being picked through the ranking system and according to the type of events. He also noted that for future trips, GCF would try its best to help fund cyclists as the body is trying to move away from a total dependence on sponsors.

The seven-member team consists of Jamual John, Michael Anthony, Curtis Dey, Paul DeNobrega and Christopher Griffith, along with officials; Marc Sonaram (team manager) and Enzo Matthews (coach).