– Team Cocos looking to extend winning streak, Evolution aiming to defend title
Raul Leal will be putting his all to lift the title once morethe rivalry will be renewed between Team Cocos and Team Gillette Evolution for the kings of cycling today
With the National Three-Stage Cycling race, which replaces the National Five-Stage for this year, set to commence at 07:30h today, rivals Team Cocos and Team Gillette Evolution will be gunning for the title with Evolution’s Raul Leal winning the previous Five-Stage and Team Cocos on a seven race winning streak.
With a grueling rivalry between the two teams in the last few races, team Cocos will feel confident heading into the stages, having had Jamal John edge Leal in the Digicel Cancer Awareness race and the two being the leaders in the abruptly ended Payless Variety Store 35-lap feature.
However, Leal has been putting in the work and along with the Evolution line up, the competition is right at its pinnacle.
Speaking with Guyana Times Sport, Team Cocos, Raynauth “Obeah Man” Jeffrey has stated that his team is ready and should be able to take the title with the likes of Stephano “Sunny” Husbands, Hamza Eastman, John, Junior Niles and others, pointing out that it would take a gigantic effort to stop them.
Leal and his men will be looking to settle the score and put to the test that are is the better riders when it comes to the stages.
Meanwhile, there will be competition coming from lone rider, Continental’s Geron Williams, the returning Alanzo Greaves and a number of promising young riders.
The two day event is a collaborative effort of the National Sports Commission, the Ministry of Health, Department of Culture Youth and Sport and the Guyana Cycling Federation.
While the race would previously include Berbice and Essequibo, this edition will only be hosted in Demerara.
Riders will be competing for a total of G$400,000, when they take to the roadways today at 7:00h to complete a 65 mile road race from Georgetown heading to Mahaicony where they would return to the starting point for a finish while completing an Individual time trial from Georgetown to Plaisance, a stretch of 3.5 miles from 15:00h later in the day.
The wheelsmen will then take to the Outer circuit of the National Park to compete in a 30-lap race beginning from 11:00h on November 6. The 30-lap race is equivalent of 70 miles.
