By Calvin Roberts
Berbicians Neil Reece (Junior) and Gary Benjamin (Veteran) and Linden’s John Charles (Senior) were crowned the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF) 2008 road race champions when they upstaged the defending champions in their respective categories yesterday morning.
All the cyclists pedalled off from the Ocean View International Hotel at Liliendaal with the veterans turning back at the Belfield Car Park on the East Coast of Demerara, the juniors at the Mahaica Police station and the seniors at the village of De Hoop, Mahaica.
The seniors were the first to be sent on their way by national cycling coach Hassan Mohammed and Alonzo Greaves wasted no time in indicating to the other 15 competitors including Charles, Robin Persaud, Junior Niles, Tyrone Hamilton and Tony Simon, that if they wanted his title, they would have to work overtime for it when he broke from the pack at Belfield.
Even though he was within their sights, Greaves led the chasing peloton all the way to the turn back point at De Hoop and even on the downward journey until a chasing peloton which included Charles, Darren Allen, Persaud and Tyrone Conway caught him at Enmore.
They stayed together and were caught by Simon at Paradise and Niles at LBI.
Allen then made his move to the front but was wheeled in by the chasing peloton at Ogle.
The group was bunched together until Charles, Allen and Greaves made a move at the University of Guyana entrance.
It was a mad dash for home as the three cyclists tried valiantly to out sprint each other.
However, while Greaves tried to outmatch Allen in the corner, Charles took the opportunity to drive on the outside to edge them both at the finish line.
So close was the finish that the trio was separated by only three inches in a time of 1:46:15.
Greaves placed second whilst Allen settled for third.
In the junior category, 14-year-old Reece called on his entire sprinting prowess to win over his more illustrious opponents including defending champion Christopher Holder, Danny Ramchurjee and Geron Williams respectively.
He was dropped four times during the course of the race but fought back each time to reconnect with the front runners which include Williams, Holder and Ramchurjee.
There was no doubt in this one who the winner was as the Berbician calmly outsprinted the other three to win by some 20 metres in a time of 1:43:00s with Holder and Williams having their own battle for the runner up position. In the end, Williams took same from Holder with Ramchurjee a distant third.
Cyclists who rode in the veterans’ under-50 division were the first to cross the finish line and were it not for a blunder on the part of defending champion Kennard Lovell, who gave up in his sprint for home some 15 metres before the finish line, he would have been the only defending champion to retain his title.
His lapse in concentration enabled Benjamin, who completed the distance in a time of 1:09:25s to drive past him to win by half a bicycle length with Ian ‘Dumb Boy’ Jackson third. Compton Persaud won the over-50 division from Monty Parris.
In an otherwise well organized event, the GCF must take some blame for the absence of not only a proper marked finishing line, but also the important yellow and checkered flag which according to most of the cyclists in both the senior and veteran categories, was a very crucial mistake by the GCF.
