CCU blocks Guyana’s plan to field exclusively male team at Caribbean Championships

Guyana’s plans to field an extended male team at the upcoming Caribbean Elite and Under-23 Road Cycling Championships have been halted after the Caribbean Cycling Union (CCU) confirmed that the country cannot use all 10 allocated spots for male riders.

It is understood that the CCU allocation provides five places for male cyclists and five for females. With no Guyanese female riders selected for the championships, the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF) had hoped to use the vacant female spots to increase its male contingent to 10.
However, according to a source within the GCF, the CCU informed the Federation on Wednesday afternoon that the unused female places cannot be transferred to the men’s categories.
The ruling means the GCF will now have to reduce its proposed nine-member male team to five cyclists for the championships, which will be held in the Dominican Republic from October 9 to 12.
The Federation had initially finalised a squad comprising five Elite riders and four Under-23 cyclists.
National road race champion Briton John was named alongside Alex Mendes, Andre Greene, Segun Hubbard, and Devendra Sahadeo in the Elite division, while national Under-23 champion Ajani Cutting, Aaron Newton, Sidwell Sandy, and Mark Lewis were selected in the U23 category.
The GCF council is now expected to meet to determine which five cyclists will ultimately represent Guyana at the regional championships.
Guyana had been preparing to enter the event with several riders carrying strong national and regional credentials.
Newton was the country’s standout performer at the 2025 Caribbean Championships in Belize City, securing a silver medal in the Men’s Under-23 Individual Time Trial.
John also produced two top-10 finishes at the same championships, placing eighth in the Elite Individual Time Trial before finishing 10th in the 164.4-kilometre road race.
The 2026 championships will feature the Individual Time Trial on October 10, followed by the Individual Road Race on October 11.