Walter Grant-Stuart outclasses field to end season in style

Differently Able cyclist Walter Grant-Stuart ended the 2010 cycling season in emphatic and classy fashion when he outclassed a star studded field to win the 11th Diamond Mineral Water / Choice of Champions 50 Mile Road Race held on the West Demerara yesterday morning.
In blistering sunshine, Grant-Stuart showed steely determination and no nonsense resolve in winning the final race of the year in One hour 58 minutes 22 seconds, a comfortable 400meters ahead of second place Paul De Nobrega who also rode well to take the junior category also.
Lindener Mark Lewis placed a creditable third with Alonzo Greaves having to settle for fourth, Junior Niles and Warren ‘Forty’ Mc Kay closing out the top six in that order.

The recipients of prizes at the 11th Diamond Mineral Water 50-mile road race pose with representatives of DDL at the conclusion of yesterday’s event on the West Demerara.

Raynauth Chatram was the second junior to cross the finish line with Montel Anthony placing third.
The upright category went to Nigel Jacobs followed by Ravendra Rodrigues and Shawn Frank, while the top veteran was Kennard Lovell who won ahead of Shameer Baksh and Linden Blackman.
Forty-two riders faced starter’s orders in the race that commenced from the Wales Police Station, West Bank Demerara proceeding to Bushy Park on the East Bank of Essequibo before returning to the Demerara Harbour Bridge for the finish. Veteran and upright riders turned back at the Uitvlugt.
Grant-Stuart commenting after the race said that it was not an easy win for him but an enjoyable one. He said he was the one being targeted by his rivals; he did the pacing and picking up but knew that he had the energy to whip the field.
So dominating was his performance that he took the lead just after the turn back point at Busy Park, Parika and never looked back; his rivals failing to connect.
“This was a good win for me and an excellent way for me to end the year; I have had some good wins this year and am looking forward to a better season in 2011. I must express my sincere gratitude God for continuing to give the health and energy to compete and do well, Mr. Raymond Perez for his continued support throughout the year and the Guyana Fire Service, where I work, They have all helped to excel and I would like to publicly acknowledge their help.”
Marketing Management Trainee of sponsors, Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) Marlon Gravesande in remarks before the presentation of prizes and trophies congratulated all the participants informing them that DDL was very pleased to be associated with the sport over the years.
“We are extremely happy to be associated with cycling and the years we have been sponsoring this year end event is testimony to that commitment. This was a challenging race today and we are encouraged by the level of rivalry exhibited during the contest.”
Gravesande encouraged the riders to continue training hard and maintain a high level of discipline. “Continue to be committed as we at DDL are and remember to stay hydrated using Diamond Mineral Water, the choice of Champions.”
National Coach and Organiser Hassan Mohamed also expressed gratitude to the riders for their continued participation. Mohamed thanked DDL for their continued partnership which continues to keep the sport energized.
He informed the riders that it’s the end of the season while expressing gratitude to them for their continuous participation during the year. The 2011 season will pedal off towards the end of January.

By Franklin Wilson

Quintero is overall winner

The fourth annual Ride For Life cycle road race came climaxed yesterday at Homestretch Avenue with Miami-based cyclist Frank Travieso clinching victory over Godfrey Pollydore and Alonzo Greaves in a photo finish in the fifth and final stage.

Travieso won the stage, which began in Linden in a time of two hours, 40 minutes and 28 seconds.
It was almost impossible to determine who won the race with the naked eye and the top three finishers, who led a sizable leading pack across the finish line, sent race officials scurrying for digital cameras to review the finish line photos and video cameras to observe videos of the close finish.

After a comprehensive review of the footage from the final seconds of the race it was determined that Travieso was the winner by the thickness of a hair.
Pollydore was adjudged second and Greaves third.

Travieso’s teammate and the event’s overall winner, Antonio Quintero finished fourth, while Geron Williams and Warren McKay closed out the top six positions in that order.

Quintero went into the fifth stage in the top spot with the best time and ended yesterday’s race in the same position.
None of the other cyclists were able to shave enough time off of Quintero’s lead which he had secured after the end of the first stage.
Quintero not only won the event, but he completed the five stage 226-mile race in a record time of 10 hours, 18 minutes and 26 seconds, shattering defending champion Geron Williams’ time of 10 hours, 30 minutes and 51 seconds, set last year.

Eric Sankar and Marlon Williams, who shared a time of 10 hours, 18 minutes and 32 seconds, also shared the second position, while Tony Simon placed fourth after clocking 10 hours, 18 minutes and 37 seconds.

The top four finishers on their way to the finish line during yesterday’s final stage of the Ride For Life 4, cycle road race on Homestretch Avenue (Orlando Charles Photo)

Rounding out the top 10 places were Walter Grant-Stewart (10:18:38), Alonzo Greaves (10:20:35), Geron Williams (10:20:52), Godfrey Pollydore (10:21:00), Frank Travieso (10:21:10) and Raymond Newton (10:21:17) in that order.

The 40 year old Quintero also emerged as the overall winner of the veterans category. Raymond Newton and Gerard Yates, were second and third respectively in that category.

Topping the Juniors category was Paul DeNobrega with Keron Bramble placed second and Kurt LaRose third.
At the presentation ceremony, wahich was held at the National Cultural Centre shortly after the conclusion of the final stage, prizes were presented to the top performers in the event.

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr. Frank Anthony, Minister of Health Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, Director of Sports Neil Kumar, Permanent Secretary within the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, Alfred King, President of the Guyana Cycling Federation Hector Edwards and National Cycling Coach Hassan Mohamed were among the officials present at the presentation ceremony.

Kumar in his address to the gathering, stated that the event was “indeed a great success.
“We [The organizers] got extremely good support and the response from the people was very, very good.
“The activity was a success because everybody worked hard and gave their best,” Kumar added.
Ramsammy said the cyclists “have contributed to a great experience.
“All of you in my book are winners,” said Ramsammy.

Anthony stated that the riders have definitely improved from previous years in terms of the “quality of riding”.
He justified this statement by citing the speed at which the cyclists completed the race this time around and the competitiveness at which the race was contested.

by Floyd Christie.

Sankar wins feature event at Hand-in-Hand cycle meet

Eric Sankar has been putting out top performances at recent cycle race meets and he recorded another victory yesterday in the feature event of the 8th Annual Hand-in-Hand Fire and Life Insurance Company Limited 11-Race Cycle Programme around the inner circuit of the National Park.

Sankar won the feature 35-lap invitation race in a time of one hour, 24 minutes and 42 seconds (1:24:42), ahead of second place finisher Warren McKay, who also bagged two prime prizes.

The riders rode strategically in the final few laps of the race but Sankar was the one to launch the surprise attack when he emerged from within the pack and put some distance on the field in the final lap.

Prize winners at the 8th Annual Hand-in-Hand Insurance Company cycle programme pose with their prizes following yesterday’s race meet at the National Park. (Orlando Charles photo)

Robin Persaud finished third and picked up one prime prize, while Alex Mendes was fourth and Enzo Matthews fifth with four prime prizes. Closing out the top six positions was Kurt Larose.

However, in the Juveniles category, Larose rode to victory ahead of Shahed Zaiboon and Brandon Baker, who finished in second and third place respectively.

Kennard Lovell took the winning trophy in the veterans’ under-50 race after he out-pedaled second place finisher Davindra Ramnarine and Virgil Jones, who placed third, while Kirkland Kellman finished first in the veterans’ over-50 category in front of Courtney Thomas and Lancelot Rose who placed second and third respectively.

The upright category was won by Ozia McAulley, who restricted Richard Charles to second place and Mario King to third, and Naiomi Singh was victorious against Golin Debideen in the female category.

The BMX cyclists were also in action yesterday with Keon Harris leading his competitors Rishidi Ceres (second) and Philbert Walter (third).

Adrian Sharma won the boys 9-12 years category from Christopher Griffith and Jaleel Jackson in second and third respectively, while Julio Melville rode to victory in the boys 12-14 race which saw Darrius Ramsammy finishing second ahead of Adrian Sharma.

Meanwhile, Ramsammy was the first across the finishing line in the BMX boys open category after he left Samuel Dick (second) and Alonzo Ambrose (third) in his trail.

BMX category cyclists also came in for special awards at the presentation ceremony following the races when Hand-in-Hand Fire and Life Insurance Company Limited distributed three brand new BMX bikes and helmets to cyclists in need.

Sankar tops field in feature at 4th AFC Max & Marlis Memorial Cycle Meet

Eric Sankar rode an excellent race to take the 4th Max Pereira and Marlis Archer Memorial race Meet feature 15 lap contest on the outer circuit of the National Park yesterday afternoon.

Eric Sankar raises his hand in triumph as he approaches the finish line comfortably ahead of Walter Grant Stuart and Tony Simon.

Sankar staved off a spirited challenge from Differently Able rider Walter Grant-Stuart to take the top spot, Tony Simon who had earlier won the Category 1, 2, 3 & 4 event settling for 3rd. Another Different Able rider, Ian ‘Dumb Boy’ Jackson placed 4th with Chris Persaud and Enzo Matthews 5th and 6th.
On a very windy day, the competitors had to pull out all the stops to survive and place among the top six. Many of the starters failed to complete the distance. Sankar took 3 of the 10 prime prizes up for grabs, Grant-Stuart 2, Simon 3 with one each to Chris Persaud and Junior Niles.
Following are the results of the other races yesterday:
Veterans under-45 – Talim Shaw, Ian Jackson, Alan Persaud
Veterans over-45 – Kirkwood Kellman, Aubrey Springer, Walter Isaacs
Junior/juveniles – Kurt La Rose, Paul De Nobrega, Rajendra Sarjoo, Shaheed Zaibon
Category 1, 2, 3 & 4 – Tony Simon, Chris Persaud, Ricky Persaud, Junior Niles, Enzo Matthews
BMX 6-9 – Ethan Conway, Antonio Samaroo
BMX 9-12 – Christopher Griffith, Deeraj Gajbarran, Jaleel Jackson
BMX 12-14 – Darius Ramsammy, Fawaz Shamin, Devanand Bissoon
Mountain Bike – Richard Charles, Ozia McCually, Kester Croal
Representatives of sponsors of the event, the Alliance For Change were on hand to assist with the presentation of prizes.
Executive Member Shelia Holder in brief remarks reminded the cyclists and fans that Max Pereira and Marlis Archer were stalwarts of the Party and also President and Treasurer of the Continental Cycle Club, organisers of the event.
Holder also stated that the AFC was very interested in the development of sports and young people in Guyana and they will continue to sponsor this memorial race meet.
Sports she continued, is a positive outlet for men and women to excel and the AF was very happy to be associated with the race. The winners and top performers were all rewarded with cash prizes.
Warren ‘Forty’ Mc Kay won last year’s race with Tyrone Hamilton taking top honors in 2008.

By Franklin Wilson.

Grant Stuart roars to victory

Walter Grant-Stuart yesterday roared to victory in the 35-lap Schoolboys and novices’ event of the Laparkan annual 11-race cycling programme held yesterday at the National Park.

Walter Grant-Stuart sprints to his first place finish ahead of Eric Sankar.

Stuart dominated the event with his only challenge coming from second place Eric Sankar who, along with Stuart, shared the eight prime prizes up for grabs equally.

Stuart’s winning time was one hour 24 minutes and 45 seconds.

Stuart told this newspaper that his bicycle was damaged last week-end in an accident adding that he was currently looking for sponsorship for a new bike.

Alex Mendes grabbed the third place with Paul De Nobrega, fourth, Enzo Matthews, fifth and Danny Ramchurjee, sixth.

De Nobrega also bagged himself a first place win and a prime prize in the 10-lap juveniles’ event. Kurt La Rose, who also won a prime prize, was second and Lindener Michael Anthony third.

Anthony had earlier opened with a first place in the 12 – 14 years old three-lap event where Lindeners took a clean sweep of the top three positions.

Akeem Arthur was second and Hazina Barratt, third.

Over in the BMX category, the 12 – 14 years race was won by another Lindener, Shaquille Agard, while Julio Melville placed second and Antonio DuRush was third.

The 9 – 12 year-old three-lap category was won by Adrian Sharma from Earl Ramkumar and Taleel Jackson respectively.

The two-lap 6 – 9 year-old category was won by Keon Harris with Nicholas D’Anrade second and Rashidi Ceres, third while the BMX boys’ Open three-lap affair was won by Lawrence Boston from Ozia McAulay and Raymond Chase respectively.

Mc Aullay also won the five-lap Upright cyclists’ race from Richard Charles and Andrea Petty in that order.

Kennard Lovell won the five laps, veterans’ Under-50 race from Akeem Arthur and Shameer Baksh.

Kirkwood Kellman, Aubrey Gravesande and Maurice Fagundes were the first three finishers in the Veterans’ O-50 event.

Robin Persaud sets new National Park record in scintillating performance

Seasoned cyclist Robin Persaud rode a scintillating race yesterday to capture the feature 35-lap schools boys and invitational race in a record breaking performance at the 10th annual DeSinco Trading sponsored 11 Race Cycle Meet held at the inner Circuit of the National Park and organised by National Coach Hassan Mohamed.
Having trailed the leaders (Cleon Melville and Kennard Lovell who were part of 9 riders given a 1 minute handicap) for most of the race, Persaud dug deep into his reserve tank to overtake the tired leading duo on the final lap to register a memorable win as set a new record of One Hour 16 Minutes 57 Seconds erasing the more than a decade old standard of One Hour 19 Minutes set by Jude Bentley.
Melville (1 prime) and Kennard who captured 6 of the 8 prime prizes were too tired to challenge Persaud who caught them with about 400 meters to the final line on a cool Saturday afternoon. Melville took the second place followed by the veteran Lovell who did well having earlier won the Under-50 veteran event.
Physically Challenged rider Walter Grant-Stuart, who lost his entire right hand following an accident, was not able to repeat his winning performance of two Saturday’s ago when he won the NSC feature 35-lapper but still did well to take the 4th place, once again proving that disability is no barrier to success.
With just over three laps to go, Grant-Stuart was about 300 meters away from connecting to Persaud but was unable to connect.
Mark Lewis settled for the 5th place with Enzo Matthews, who will represent Guyana at the upcoming XIX Commonwealth Games in Delhi India, closing out the top 6 positions. Matthews suffered two punctures during the race but still rebounded to place in the top six.
Marlon ‘Fishy’ Williams competed but suffered some mechanical problems with is machine just after the race started and was never able to challenge for a top place but said he was pleased to compete as it is good practice ahead of the Commonwealth Games.
Guyana’s other two representatives for the Games Alonzo Greaves and Geron Williams did not compete. Twenty-eight (28) riders faced starter’s orders in the feature race.
Following are the results of the other races, 1st to 3rd:
12-14 (3 laps) Akeem Arthur, Delius Richardson, Michael Anthony
Veterans U-50 (5laps) Kennard Lovell, Virgil Jones, Andrew Spencer
Veterans O-50 (5 laps) Kirkwood Kellman, Monty Parris, Maurice Fagundes
Juveniles (10 laps) Kurt La Rose, Marlon King, Delius Richardson
Upright (5 laps) Nigel Jacobs, Richard Charles, Ozia Mc Caullay
BMX 6-9 (2 laps) Keon Harris, Devoy Benjamin, Jamal Arthur
BMX 9-12 (3 laps) Randy Haynes, Adrian Sharma, Earl Ramkumar
BMX 12-14 (3 laps) Shaquel Agard, Antonio De Rushe, Sylvan Lewis
BMX Open (3 laps) Raymond Chase, George Berkley, Randy Haynes
Vibert Gordon, Warehouse Supervisor of DeSinco Trading was on hand to assist in the distribution of trophies and prizes.

By Franklin Wilson

34th NSC Teach Them Young Cycling programme ends on a high

Grant-Stuart destroys star- studded field to win feature 35- lap race.

There could not have been a better end to the 34th annual National Sports Commission sponsored Teach them Young 8-weeks cycling programme which took place at the National Park yesterday.
Physically Challenged rider Walter Grant-Stuart proved yet again that disability is in no way a barrier to competing against those not so disadvantaged. Grant-Stuart in stunning fashion recorded another big win when he won the feature school boys & invitation 35-lap race in emphatic style.
Leading from lap 5, a smiling Grant-Stuart crossed the finish line way ahead of his more accomplished rivals in 1 hour 23 minutes 01.83 seconds, unchallenged. His performance was so devastating on a sunny and humid day that he also took 7 of the 8 prime prizes on offer, Andrew Spencer took the other.
Marlon ‘Fishy’ Williams led home the chasing second pack in 1 hour 25 minutes 48 seconds winning an exciting sprint ahead of rival Robin Persaud, Mark Lewis, Lear Nunes and Eric Sankar in that order.
From lap 5 Grant-Stuart kept increasing the lead over the field and the fight was always going to be for the 2nd to 6th place; Williams being the man all the others were looking at which allowed Grant-Stuart to consolidate his grip on the race.
Christopher Holder won the juvenile race with Paul De Nobrega claiming the runner up position ahead of Kurt La Rose.
Linden’s Kirkwoood Kellman was victorious in the veteran over-50 contest with Monty Parris 2nd and Courtney Thomas 3rd. Virgil Jones, Turham Harris of
Berbice and Kennard Lovell finished in that order in the veteran under-50 match up.
Female Berbician Marica Dick toped the field in the 12-14 racing bike 3-lap clash, Naiomi Singh taking the runner up spot ahead of Ricardo Sharma. Mario King was the best upright rider crossing the line ahead of Ozia McCually and Nigel Jacobs.
In the BMX events, Nicholas D’Andrade triumphed in the 6-9 contest; Keon Harris and Rishide Ceres finishing in that order. Adrian Sharma was better than his counterpart, Jermaine Beckles in the 9-12 battle; Shaquel Agard won the 12-14 race relegating Darius Ramsammy to the runner up spot, Adrian Sharma placed 3rd. Agard was again the top rider in the BMX open showdown with Ramsammy second best again and Randy Haynes 3rd.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Permanent Secretary within the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport Alfred King commended organiser Hassan Mohamed for the splendid job he has been doing over the 34 years the Teach Them Young Programme has been running.
King noted that 34 years of continuous growth is a massive achievement pointing out that many programmes don’t last 3 years.
He alluded to the fact that the skills, right attitude to the sport, discipline and love for the sport which is passed on to the young riders of the programme assists in shaping their future when they graduate to the senior ranks.
The Ministry of Culture Youth and Sports has ran off close to 100 camps around the country during the August holidays King informed stating that well over 7000 persons have benefitted.
“I would like to challenge the Cycling federation to move some of their programmes outside of the city to get more youngsters involved, areas such as Linden, New Amsterdam and Anna Regina. I would also like to see more women being attracted to the sport apart from the few who compete.”
King complimented Grant-Stuart for winning the race and singled him out as a role model to all the riders. He noted that the Physically Challenged cyclist has shown a high level of commitment and dedication and would do well for Guyana at the Para Olympics, since he has the capacity to win gold.
National Coach Hassan Mohamed MS who has been the solid pillar behind the Teach Them Young programme ever since its inception in 1977, informed that this year’s programme which pedaled off on July 12 officially ended yesterday.
Mohamed, expressed his satisfaction at the turnout which he pointed out was the highest ever.
“This is the best year of the programme in many regards for me not only in terms of the numbers who turned out but I was happy to see so many new faces. I had a long talk with them on Saturday and I am looking forward to some exciting days as they mature in the sport.”
The National Park will continue to host a number of programmes that will last for the remainder of the year, Mohammed informed.

Mc Kay in disputed win at Teach Them Young race meet

The racing tactics used by Warren ‘Forty’ McKay to triumph in the 35-lap invitation race at yesterday’s ‘Teach Them Young’ cycle race meet around the inner circle of the National Park was questioned upon completion of the event.

Warren McKay (Right) finishes neck-to-neck with Robin Persaud in the 35 laps invitation race yesterday at the National Park (Orlando Charles Photo)

The high paced race almost saw McKay breaking the 35-lap National Park record around the inner circle where he finished one minute shy after clocking one hour, 20 minutes and 37 seconds (1.20.37).

The finish of the race sparked heated debates by spectators and cyclists.
Mc Kay was accused by second place finisher Robin Persaud of unsportsmanlike actions as the top three cyclists executed their final sprint around the last turn heading into the homestretch.

Persaud, who crossed the finish line neck and neck with Mc Kay, complained to race officials afterwards that McKay “cut in-front of him” effectively blocking his lane and almost causing him to fall.

A fuming Persaud added that McKay should be disqualified for the actions and that he should be declared the winner.

Also lodging a complaint with officials at the finish line was McKay’s club mate, Marlon ‘Fishy’ Williams, who placed third.

Prize winners of yesterday’s ‘Teach Them Young’ race meet pose with their trophies (Orlando Charles Photo)

Williams claimed that Persaud too was at fault as the three cyclists came around the final turn, since Persaud dangerously “braced him in the corner” which caused him to go off the track.

It was at this point that some spectators got involved stating that Mc Kay did not cut off Persaud.

Others, however, argued in favour of Persaud, who said the reason for him bracing and almost colliding with Williams was simply an evasive measure to avoid a collision with McKay.

Chris Persaud led convincingly at the beginning of the final lap and was also in contention for first place as the cyclists entered the last turn.

The others, though, managed to close the gap and eventually go past Chris Persaud who finished closely behind in fourth place.

The race, which began with 16 participants, was not only fast-paced, but also gruelling and, after a collision on the back stretch which forced some participants to discontinue, only six riders completed the race.

Closing out the six finishers and also the prize winning positions were Ian Jackson and Mark Spencer who crossed the finish line in fifth and sixth place respectively.

The BMX Categories, which comprised young cyclists currently partaking in the Teach Them Young programme at the National Park, saw a number of participants in the various categories.

Keion Harris won the two-lap, BMX 6-9 years’ category, from Rashid Ceres and Justin DeNobrega respectively.

The three-lap, BMX 9-12 years’ race was won by Deeraj Garbarran with Dineshwar Raghubeer second and Christopher Griffith, third.

Darius Ramsammy left third place finisher Jaleel Jackson and runner up Adrian Sharma in his trail to secure first place in the BMX Open category while in the five-lap, BMX 12-14 years’ race, Ramsammy was again victorious with Sharma again second and Garbarran, third.

The Juveniles category was won by Christopher Holder with Marlon King and Davenand Bissoon placing second and third respectively.

Only two cyclists contested the Veterans over-50 category which saw Kirkwood Kellman finishing ahead of Maurice Fagundes.

Bochel Samaroo was the winner of the Veteran’s under-50 race after he out-pedalled Kennard Lovell and Spencer who finished second and third respectively.

In the upright category, Kester Croal emerged victorious ahead of Nigel Jacobs and Kunta McKenzie.

By Floyd Christie

Persaud, Williams share honours

Linden Bauxite Flyers/Fern Leaf cycling ...
TOP senior racing cyclists, Robin Persaud who won the road race from Land of Canaan to Linden and Marlon ‘Fishy’ Williams who rode away with the 20-lap Circuit race shared the honours of the Linden Bauxite Flyers/Fern Leaf meet last Sunday at Linden. Persaud stole the spotlight in the first race from Land of Canaan as he sprinted home to the finish line ahead of Tony Simon who came second, Junior Niles third and Marlon ‘Fishy’ Williams fourth, with Mark Lewis fifth, Chris Persaud sixth, and Orville Hinds seventh.
Persaud won the third prime point prize while the second went to Albert Philander but Tony Simon grabbed the other four prime point prizes, 1st, 4th, 5th and 6th, on offer.
Williams came back to win the blue riband race in a driving finish from Chris Persaud as Robin Persaud placed third, Mark Lewis fourth and Grant Stewart and Orville Hinds completing the top finishers from fifteen starters.
Williams also copped four prime point prizes, Robin Persaud claimed six, three by Eric Sankar and one each by Lewis, Junior Niles and Ryan Austin.
In the Land of Canaan to Linden race which ended outside of McRae’s Supermarket along the Amelia’s Ward Circuit in Linden the winner was Andrew Spence, with Mark Spencer second and Kennard Lovell third. Prizes were presented by Joseph, while a trophy was donated by the Youth Neighbourhood Development Council‘s Nigel Trotman to the top Over-50 Veteran finisher Kirkwood Kellman.
Among the juniors the top prize went to Paul De Nobrega from Rastaff Oselmo and Delon Nurse and they received trophies.
The Criterium event around the Amelia’s Ward Circuit for 6-9 age group BMX riders was won by Nuclei O’selmo from Devon Benjamin and Jamal Archer third. The 10-12 BMX winner was Randy Haynes from Isaiah Saul and Oneil Leitch while the 12-14 BMX winner was Dellus Richardson ahead of Shaquille Agard and Wayne Marshall.
The Junior winner over 6 laps was Paul De Nobrega who beat Marlon King into second position and Delon Moore was third.
The Mountain Bike 4-lap race was won by Michale Anthony with Alkeem Arthur second and Akeem Angus third
In the Ladies’ race the winner over 3 laps was Harzina Barrett won from Golan Debideen, and Shonnette McFarlane was third.
Fern Leaf Branch Manager Mr Stuart May was on hand to present the top prizes to the various category winners and he was ably assisted by Fern Leaf staffers Ms Nickalva Woolington and Ms Michelle Bowen, along with owner of McRae’s Supermarket and president of the Bauxite Flyers Cycle Club Mr Brian McRae who thanked the sponsors for the meet, especially Fern Leaf who took the opportinituy to launch its ‘Get Ready To Be A Winner’ promotion where 30 consumers will win $500 000.
Among the main sponsors were Fern Leaf, Winston Thomas and former national cycling champion and Olympian Joelyn Joseph, who is back home on holiday. He also made a special prize to Marlon ‘Fishy’ Williams after he won the 20-lap race.

by Joe Chapman.

Niles wins Regan Rodrigues Memorial cycle race

Junior Niles rode away with the Open category of the sixth annual Regan Rodrigues Memorial cycle road race on Sunday at West Demerara.

Prize winners of the Regan Rodrigues Memorial road race pose with their trophies and hampers following Sunday’s race meet.

Niles prevailed in the 50-mile race which began at the Wales Police Station, proceeded to Parika and culminated at the Harbour Bridge.

His winning time was one hour, 51 minutes and 19 seconds (1.51.19).

Jude Bentley crossed the finish line in Niles’ trail to take second place while Albert Philander, who has been delivering front line performances in recent meets, came in third.

Tony Simone, Eric Sankar and Mark Lewis closed out the prize winning positions in fourth, fifth and sixth places respectively.

The other categories contested Sunday turned back at Uitvlugt on the West Coast of Demerara and had its fair share of competition during the route which also ended at the Harbour Bridge.

Gary Benjamin was again ahead of the Veterans category, taking the top prize and limiting Virgil Jones and Linden Blackman to second and third places respectively.

Meanwhile, Monty Parris grabbed the winnings in the over-60 Veterans’ category.

The rivalry in the Junior category of recent race meets has often included Christopher Holder and Paul DeNobrega, and Sunday’s meet was no variant. The latter, however, was second best to Holder yet again when the pair led the juniors across the finish line.

The Upright category saw Kester Croal finishing ahead of second and third place finishers Kunta McKenzie and Mario King while Berbician Marica Dick out-pedalled Naomi Singh, who was her lone competitor in the female category, to secure the top spot.

The successful participants were presented with trophies and hampers, in the presence of Director of Sports, Neil Kumar at the presentation ceremony that followed the race meet.

In addition to his winning trophy, Niles also carted off three prime prizes. Bentley and Philander were rewarded with two prime prizes each, while Croal was also in the prime prize hunt and bagged one.

Marlon ‘Fishy’ Williams triumphs in Guyana Cycling Federation fundraiser

Marlon ‘Fishy’ Williams rode a blistering race to outlast a competitive field of cyclists when the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF) staged one of its ongoing fundraising activities around the outer circuit of the National Park, yesterday morning. Robin Persaud crossed the finishing line centimeters behind Williams to cart off the second place while Warren McKay closed off the podium positions.

Marlon ‘Fishy’ Williams

From the onset the fans that turned out in support of the cyclists knew that the competitors would have had to dig deep to come out on top. The race was contested at a ferocious pace and the first two laps saw Williams, Persaud and Walter Grant Stewart assuming a considerable lead over the pack. Williams and Persaud maintained the momentum but Grant Stewart apparently felt the brunt of the pace and drifted back into the pack from as early as the third lap.

The pair of Williams and Persaud dominated the proceeding from that stage right down to the last hundred meters of the race when Williams employed crafty tactics to drive home in a strong and competitive finish. The two cyclists shared the prime prizes with Williams taking four and Persaud, three.

After the race an ecstatic Williams admitted that the race was both tactical and taxing. He said that it was a case of wits and grit as Persaud was the aggressor from the inception. He explained that Persaud was doing approximately forty percent of the pace making while he was content to just mark his (Persaud) back wheel. Williams said that as the two riders approached the finish line Persaud hung back waiting on him to make a decisive move. “I was in control from the onset and was confident of winning the race,” concluded Williams.

The day’s activities started on a winning note for Rashidi Ceres who won the BMX 6-9 years event in front of Devon Benjamin and Keon Harris. In the BMX 10-13 years event, Jornel Yearwood won from Adrian Sharma and Raymond Perez, 2nd and 3rd respectively. Daurius Ramsammy outlasted Shaquille Agard and Michael Anthony in the BMX 13-15 years old event, while Ozia McCually won the BMX Open from Kwesi Headley and Nicholas Graham, respectively.

Jude Bentley dominated the Mountain Bike event with Kester Croal and Cliff Thomas closing off the respective podium positions.

In the Veteran category Andrew Spencer crossed the finishing line in front of Linden Blackman and Kennard Lovell respectively. Chris Holder won the juniors’ race from Rastaff O’Selmo and Kurt Rose, respectively, moments before Williams lit up the track with his sterling performance.

Several other activities made up the fund raising programme including dominoes and a food sale.

Philander springs from behind to top McKay

Albert Philander delivered a top class performance to emerge from deep within the pack to restrict defending Champion Warren ‘Forty’ McKay to second place and cash in on the winning trophy in the annual Ballot Box Martyrs 55-mile cycle road race yesterday.

Prize winners of the Ballot Box Martyrs cycle race pose with their trophies in the presence of Dr. Frank Anthony (Center in white) (Floyd Christie Photo)

The event, which commenced outside Freedom House, New Amsterdam yesterday morning saw Philander strategically keeping pace with the rest of the bunch behind his Roraima Bikers club mate and front runner McKay.

It was Mc Kay who made the first jump, breaking away early from the rest of the pack, as is his signature, closely followed by Junior Niles.

On the return from the Corriverton Police Station for the finish at No. 63 Village, Corentyne, it was Philander’s turn to strike when the bunch caught up with the tiring McKay.

From that point Philander snaked into the lead and pressed forward and distanced himself from McKay and the other contenders to complete a convincing victory.

Philander completed the 55-mile journey in a time of two hours, eight minutes and 40 seconds.

As last year’s winner of the event and looking in-form with solid performances at recent race meets, McKay was favoured to cart off the winning trophy and was looking as if he would deliver on expectations as he lead the contingent for the entirety of their upward journey.

However, McKay told Stabroek Sport after the race meet that he exerted a vast amount of energy as he shifted into overdrive “going up” but on his return it was like he had shutdown and he was caught by Philander and the others.

Robin Persaud finished strongly in close proximity to McKay in third place while Junior Niles dropped to fourth position after an impressive start.

Ian Jackson copped the fourth position and Berbice’s junior cyclist Neil Reece held his own amongst the top senior contenders to grab sixth place.

Reece’s sixth in the senior category meant he was the top junior.

Commenting on his performance, Reece said that he trained hard for the race meet.

“I prepared for them this time,” he exclaimed.

Paul DeNobrega and Delon Desa closed off the top three juniors finishing second and third respectively.

The female category, which finished on the upward journey at No. 63 Village saw Linden’s Hazina Bharrat winning from Marcia Dick with Naomi Singh third.

The Upright Category which spanned the same distance as the females was dominated by the Georgetown cyclists when Mario King and Kevin Edwards crossed the finish line in first and second place respectively leaving young Mark Harris trailing in their wake in third place.

The Veterans race also ended on the journey at No. 63 Village and Gary Benjamin of Fyrish Village, Corentyne rode well in front of the Corentyne spectators to win the event.

Linden Blackman and Turhan Harris placed second and third respectively.

McKay carted off four prime prizes, Niles two and Reece and Ricky Kissoon bagged one prime each.

Trophies were presented to top performers.

The presentation ceremony that followed the race meet was graced by prominent individuals such as Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony, Director of Sport, Neil Kumar and officials of Region Six.

They all thanked the participants and sponsors for supporting the symbolic event, which is in memory of Jagan Ramessar and Parmanand Bholanauth, who were gunned down on July 16, 1973, while trying to prevent armed agents from removing ballot boxes from the New Market Primary School at No. 63 Village, Corentyne.

By Floyd Christie

RBC/NAMILCO Wheat Up CARICOM Road Race

‘Dumb Boy’ Jackson dominates field
FLYING Stars Cycle Club cyclist Ian ‘Dumb Boy’ Jackson dominated the field on the downward journey to ride away with the seventh annual Roraima Bikers Club (RBC)-organised National Milling Company (NAMILCO) Wheat Up-sponsored CARICOM Day cycle road race yesterday.
When the record number of 64 cyclists were sent on their way, defending and national champion Warren ‘40’ McKay signalled his intentions of not giving up his crown easily, by surging to front as they were about to pass the village of Eccles.
He was joined by Jude Bently, Robin Persaud and Marlon ‘Fishy’ Williams as he approached Supply and about five minutes later, the peloton which included Jackson, Junior Niles, Christopher Persaud, Walter Grant-Stuart and Albert Philander among others, connected with them.
It was a cat-and-mouse game on the upward journey, as several breaks were made but they were short-lived, as none of the cyclists allowed his rivals to get out of sight for too long as they approached the turn-back point at Long Creek on the Linden Highway.
The scenario did not change on the downward journey, as there were lots of breaks but as was the case going up, so it was coming down; for the peloton wheeled in the frontrunners before they had the time to establish a sizeable lead.
Jackson refused to be choked in with the cat-and-mouse situation that was taking place within the peloton, and as they approached the village of Diamond, he made his move to front which was unanswered by the peloton. He crossed the finish line ahead of everyone in a time of 2.42:40.
McKay, who was dropped by the peloton, worked his way back to reconnect at the Eccles junction and then jumped the pack 50 metres away from the finish line to claim the runner-up position two minutes after Jackson had crossed the line.
Persaud, Bently, Grant-Stuart and Williams completed the top six in that order, while in the Veteran’s category, Berbice’s Toran Harris took the top position with a time of 1.28:25 from Andy Spencer and Linden Blackman respectively.
Continental Cycle Club’s Kurt La Rose took the junior category from his club mate Paul De Nobrega and Neil Reece of Berbice while Kester Croal won the Upright/Mountain Bike category from Ricky Kissoon and Oziah McAulay respectively.
The Ladies’ category which was introduced for the first time this year was won by Linden’s Hazeline Bennett from Naomi Singh, who hails from the East Coast of Demerara, and Golin Debideen also from Linden.
Even though he finished in the fourth position, Bently still managed to ride away with four sprint prizes, McKay three, Jackson two and Grant-Stuart one.
At the simple presentation ceremony that followed in the compound of NAMILCO, president of RBC Brian Allen thanked the sponsors and congratulated the cyclists for competing in another keenly contested event and vowed to make next year’s a bigger one that will see the participation of cyclists from other CARICOM countries.
“Thanks to NAMILCO for their support over the years to sports, more so cycling, as we all look forward to this time of the year for this race which was another keenly contested one and accident-free despite the weather.
“Come next year, the event will be a true CARICOM race with the participation of cyclists from our Caricom brothers and sisters countries, which means the race will be more competitive and exciting once again,” said Allen.
Chief Executive Officer of NAMILCO, Bert Sukhai, took the time to express his pleasure at being associated with the event and thanked the organisers for running off another successful event.
“I am very pleased to see such a large crowd gathered in the compound of NAMILCO today. We have no apologies and no regrets sponsoring this race and I am pleased to hear the president of RBC making arrangements to have CARICOM cyclists compete next year,” stated Sukhai.
“I am hoping a new format of the race will be introduced next year, making it more entertaining not only for the cyclists, but the public as well and we will continue to not only sponsor this event, but sports in Guyana in the future and with that I wish to congratulate the winners and the participants for another entertaining and successful event.”
Director of Sport Neil Kumar was on hand to deliver a brief address and while he took the time to congratulate the various category winners, who were all presented with cash prizes, trophies and medals along with a championship jersey, he charged the cyclists to always remain disciplined in whatever they do.
All the participants received medallions, while the various category winners each collected a championship jersey, trophy, medallion and cash prizes, while Grant-Stuart who is differently-able, was presented with a special prize from Sukhai.

by Calvin Roberts

Mc Kay repeats as National Road Race champion

Warren `Forty’ McKay overcame the inclement weather and a field of competitive cyclists to retain his title when the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF) held its annual National Road Race championships yesterday.

Competitors and race officials following the staging of the annual road race cycling championships yesterday. (Orlando Charles photo)

Mc Kay won the event which started outside the Ocean View International Hotel in a time of one hour, 47 minutes and 23 seconds.

In second position was Jude Bentley while Enzo Matthews placed third.

With the rain bearing down, McKay held on to his minimal lead over Bentley to secure the top spot after the senior cyclists had turned back at DeHoop, Mahaicony.

Matthews initially pulled away from the pack with McKay and Bentley but fell at Mahaica, suffering abrasions to his left arm.

He recovered well to place third although he did not have enough to haul himself back into contention for the first place.

The junior category, which turned back at the Mahaica Old Road, ended in a near photo finish between Christopher Holder and rising star, Paul DeNobrega. The pair crossed the finish line neck and neck leaving onlookers wondering who had won.

It was declared afterwards, however, that Holder crossed first and he is the new junior road race champion.

Holder’s winning time was one hour, 51 minutes and 47 seconds (1.51.47).

Placing third was Rastaff O’Selmo who led the second bunch of cyclists across the finish line shortly afterwards.

The veteran category turned back at the Belfield Car Park and was dominated once again by last year’s champion, Gary Benjamin.

Benjamin led a sprinting five-man first pack across the white line in a time of one hour, 21 minutes and 44 seconds (1.21.44).

Second place finisher Lyndon Blackman showed good spirit at the end as he stayed on Benjamin’s rear wheel in an attempt to snatch first, but he took too long to begin his sprint and had to settle for second place.

He was closely followed by third place finisher Ian Jackson.

The female category which took the same route as the veterans had its fair share of cycling action as Hazina Barratt out-sprinted defending champion Marica Dick to comfortably take first place in a time of one hour, 28 minutes and 53 seconds (1.28.53) to become the new female champion.

Naomi Singh found herself trailing the second place finisher, Dick by some distance and eventually finished in third place.

At the end of the event, National cycling coach, Hassan Mohamed, congratulated the successful participants and thanked the sponsors of the event.

Medals were presented to the top three finishers in each category and championship cycling tops were presented to the winners.

Robin Persaud rides away with Guyoil Father’s Day 50-miler

Robin Persaud, a father of two, dug extra deep into his energy tank to claim victory in the 11th Guyoil sponsored Father’s day 50-mile cycle road race held on the West Demerara yesterday morning.

Robin Persaud

Persaud, who in recent races has been second best decided that on a day when Fathers the world over are recognised, he had to make it count for the sake of his 12 year-old son and 7 year-old daughter. He pedaled to victory in 1 hour 53 minutes 54.50 seconds winning the sprint home from Jude Bentley, Junior Niles, Marlon Williams, Ian Jackson and Walter Grant-Stuart in that order.

The race started outside the Wales Police Station on the West Bank before proceeding to Busy Park on the East Bank of Essequibo before returning to the Demerara Harbour Bridge for the finish.

The rain and cool conditions turned out to be ideal ingredients for Persaud who chalked up a memorable win over arch rival Alonzo Greaves who did not place in the top six.

Paul De Nobrega too turned the table on rival Neil Reece who would have been enjoying top podium finishes ahead of him. De Nobrega crossed the finish line way ahead of Reece to take the junior class. Davendra Bissoon in his first race on a racing cycle did well to take the 3rd place.

Virgil Jones was too hot for his fellow veterans to handle, sprinting home in an exciting finish ahead of Gary Benjamin and Kennard Lovell. Topping the upright category was Clyde Jacobs; Marion King and Mark Harris placing 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Monty Parris copped the trophy for the first over-60 rider to cross the line.

Meanwhile, riders will be clashing again next Sunday when the Guyana Cycling Federation hosts their national championships which will see senior, junior and veteran champions being crowned.

And BMX riders will be in action on Saturday when the Guyana Olympic Association brings off a number of races in observance of Olympic Day 2010. The event is slated for the National Park with four (4) races listed for the day.

By Franklin Wilson.

Greaves rides away with P&P Insurance feature event

After riding intensely for 35 laps under the scorching mid-day sun, Alonzo Greaves captured the winning trophy in the feature event of the 10th annual P&P Insurance Brothers, Consultancy and Travel Agency cycling programme held yesterday around the inner circuit of the National Park.

Alonzo Greaves celebrates while crossing the finish line first in the P&P Insurance 35 laps event yesterday in the National Park (Orlando Charles Photo)

Greaves completed the 35-lap invitation race in a time of one hour, 21 minutes and 14 seconds, just bettering the time set by last year’s winner, Leer Nunes of one hour, 21 minutes and 35 seconds.

Greaves finished a few seconds ahead of long-time rival, Robin Persaud, who was second.

Greaves and Persaud stayed on each other’s rear wheel for the majority of the race and powered away from the rest of the pack.

When the bell sounded to signal the start of the final lap, it was either Greaves or Persaud for the win.

The duo rose from their seats, shifted into overdrive and went neck and neck around the final turn, before Greaves managed to pull ahead at the finish line.

Persaud came in split seconds behind.

Warren Mc Kay came in shortly afterwards for third place.

McKay was in fifth place during the final lap be the experienced campaigner had seemingly conserved enough energy throughout the race and, backed by the cheers of supporters he went into the reserve tank around the final turn before blowing past Turhan Harris and Enzo Matthews to snatch third.

Matthews finished in fourth position, Berbician Harris, fifth and Walter Grant-Stewart sixth.

In other results, Lindens Hazina Barratt and Kirkwood Kellman took the winning trophies for the girls’ 12-14 and veterans’ over 50 years (five-lap) category respectively.

The veteran under 50 years (five-lap) category was won by Davendra Ramnarine while Paul DeNobrega rode off with the winning trophy in the juniors (10-lap) category.

Making his first appearance in the National Park, Clyde Jacobs took first place in the upright category. Ashley Anthony was the lone participant in the girls’ BMX 6-12 years and carted off the winning trophy.

The boys BMX winners were Duneshwar Ragubeer (6-9 category), Adrian Sharma (9-12 category), Darius Ramsammy (12-14 category) and Kwesi Headley in the BMX Open category. Following the race meet which was organized by National Coach, Hassan Mohamed, prizes were presented to the successful participants by a representative of P&P Insurance, Varsha Panday.

By Floyd Christie