…Spencer is female champ, Grant-Stuart top veteran, Sookhai top junior
Story and Photos By Brandon Corlette
The man who plies his cycling trade in Trinidad, Akil Campbell was crowned the overall winner of the Guyana Cycling Independence three-stage cycling race. The Team Foundation rider finished the three stages in seven hourFederation (GCF)s, 18 minutes, and 19 seconds.
Grant-Stuart was the top veteran
His team-mate, the consistent Jamual John finished second with a time of seven hours, 22 minutes and 32 seconds. Both Campbell and John came together for the finish, in the third and final stage from Linden to Georgetown.
Linden’s Clivecia Spencer was the top female rider, as she won the first two stages and was the lone female starter in the final stage. Walter “One Hand” Grant-Stuart was the top veteran while Arjoon Sookhai was the top junior rider.
Under overcast conditions, interrupted by occasional showers, a reduced number of cyclists started in Linden. As the riders raced towards Homestretch Avenue for the finish, John and Campbell broke away from the peloton at Umbrella Hill. The duo displayed a high level of fitness and skill to maintain the lead and cruised to the podium.
Team Evolution’s Curtis Dey came third in the final stage and he was also the third-place rider in the senior category, across three stages. He had a time of seven hours, 28 minutes, and 36 seconds. Team Alanis rider Kemuel Moses had the fourth best timings while Jason Cameron, David Hicks, Deeraj Gharbarran, Walter Grant-Stuart, Marcus Keiler, and Andre Green rounded out the top 10 riders in the senior category.
Grant-Stuart had the best time among veterans – seven hours, 33 minutes, and two seconds. Robin Persaud had an overall time of seven hours, 39 minutes, and 20 seconds while Paul Choo Wee Nam had the same time. Both veterans had come in second overall.
Junior riders started the final stage at the first toll and the top junior, Sookhai, had an overall time of five hours, 58 minutes, and 15 seconds. Sherwin Sampson crossed the finish line four seconds later while Dimitri Madamsick came in third overall with a time of five hours, 59 minutes, and 54 seconds. Ahjani Cutting placed fourth in the junior category, with a time of five hours, 59 minutes, and 57 seconds.
For the seniors, the three-stage race stretched over some 165 miles across the two days. After emerging victorious, Campbell said it was a good race for him and it was his first race of the year.
“I came over here to race with John and we pulled off one-two,” Campbell noted. He said that good teamwork ensured a dominant Team Foundation win in the three-stage, despite Raynauth “Obeah Man” Jeffrey having a poor showing in the second stage, and not riding in the final stage.
When asked about the conditions in the final stage, the Trinidadian Campbell said: “I really do not like the East Bank road. John had to bring me home, but it worked out good.”
