Alonzo Ambrose in a time of two hours, eleven minutes and five seconds (2:06:54) won the first stage of the 21st Cheddi Jagan Memorial cycle road race but failed to meet Shaquel Agard two hours, six minutes and fifty-four seconds (2:06:54) record set last year.
The winners of the various categories pose with organizers
Ambrose who placed second last year approached the finish line with Jamal John and proved he is by far the better as both men got off their seats in an effort to claim bragging rights to the first stage of the annual event on Sunday.
Third place went to Andre ‘Padlock’ Green ahead of Paul De Nobrega who also claimed fourth last year. The fifth and sixth places went to Andrew Hicks and Christopher Griffith respectively.
Ambrose was part of a group of seven riders who broke away when the riders were sent off from outside Freedom House at Main and Charlotte Streets in New Amsterdam. It was Hicks who made the bold move and started the attack after the riders had completed 5 miles of the race.
Alanzo Ambrose
In the veteran category, Junior Niles continues to dominate finishing well ahead of Ian Jackson and Jackaran Sookhai in that order.
Jamal John took three of the eight sprint point prizes up for grabs, Griffith two and one each to Niles and Hicks.
Niles in all twenty-one editions of the race, told the Guyana times that he was disappointed that as a veteran he was not allowed to go the full distance and provide more competition and also challenge for one of the top prizes.
“I hope next year the organisers will allow the veterans to go the full distance and make the race more competitive.”
Junior champion Briton John collects his trophy from PPP Member Dr Bheri Ramsarran
Meanwhile, in the junior category, Briton John rode in ahead of Ajay Gopilall and Adrntie Hodge.
In an exclusive interview with the Guyana Times Sport John said his coach had been disappointed with his performance so far this year. He further explained he has not been given a training programme from his coach but had just been trying to cover distance as he prepared for the first leg of the race.
“When the race start I just had to do what I came to do. I tried to stay with the main bunch to catch the first break. I know if I catch the first break it would be easy to win my category but I did not get to go on the first break but I catch the second break and that was it,” the upcoming cyclist of United Cycling Club.
For the females, Shrnika Teixeira was first and fellow Berbician Whitney Poyer second. Seventy-year-old Montgomery Paris was the oldest rider to complete the event winning the over-60 category.
The event was organised by the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) in remembrance of the late party leader Cheddi Jagan and rode off from outside of the party’s New Amsterdam office at main and Charlotte Streets and proceeded to the Number 51 Police Station on the Corentyne before heading to Port Mourant for the finish.
Veterans rode from the starting point to Adventure and returned to Port Mourant for the finish while females rode from New Amsterdam to Port Mourant.
Following the completion of the first leg, cyclists will head over to the West Bank of Demerara on March 18 where the second leg of the race will be held. They are expected to pedal off from the Demerara Harbour Bridge (West Bank) at 08:30hrs and proceed to Bushy Park, East Bank Essequibo, before finishing at the point of origin. (Andrew Carmichael)
