GCF National Championships: John reclaims National Road Race title as Cutting wins U23 crown

By Michelangelo Jacobus

The juggernaut that is Briton John returned to Guyana’s roads on Sunday morning and reclaimed the Elite Men’s National Road Race title as the Guyana Cycling Federation’s 2026 National Championships came to a close along the Linden-Soesdyke Highway.
John, riding for We Stand United, won the feature Elite category after covering 167.3 kilometres in testing conditions that included rolling hills, some heat and even storm-like rainfall during part of the race. The victory marked his return to the top of the national road race podium after he missed the 2025 edition and surrendered the crown last year.
Kaieteur Attack Racing Cycle Club’s Andre Greene produced a strong ride to finish second in the Elite category, while his clubmate and veteran cyclist Alex Mendes completed the podium in third.
While John took the senior title, rising Kaieteur Attack cyclist Ajani Cutting confirmed his recent form by winning the Under-23 category. Cutting wrested the title away from last year’s overall and U23 champion Aaron Newton of KFC Evolution, who had to settle for third this time around.
Cutting’s clubmate Sidwell Sandy finished second in the U23 category, giving Kaieteur Attack Racing Cycle Club the top two places in that division.
Speaking to Guyana Times Sport after the race, Cutting said the conditions and the return of John made the contest especially difficult.
“Today’s race was quite hard due to Briton being back and with the severe weather conditions even racing through a storm, eventually I had succumbed to some cramps, but I pulled through regardless,” Cutting said.
In the female category, Denise Jeffery of KFC Evolution took first place, while Tandiea Noel of Kaieteur Attack Racing Cycle Club won the junior female category.
The Masters 35+ category also produced a competitive battle, with newcomer Kristian Jeffrey of KFC Evolution mounting an impressive ride to take first place. His clubmate Seagun Hubbard finished second, while unattached rider Devendra Sahadeo placed third.

In the Junior category, Newton of KFC Evolution edged defending champion Alexander Leung of Continental in a close finish. The two riders stayed together for most of the contest before Newton launched a late attack and pipped Leung by inches at the line. Kevin Stephen of Velocity finished third.
The Masters 50+ category was won by Nigel London of We Stand United. Ray Harlequin of Flying Stars finished second, while Shurland Sue-Hang of Carlton Wheelers placed third.
Sunday’s road race was contested on a course that began at the roundabout before entering Linden, proceeded to Netsurf Park, and returned to the starting point to complete one lap. The female category covered one lap for 41.8 kilometres, while the Juveniles were scheduled to ride one and a half laps for 62.7 kilometres. Juniors and Masters 50+ riders covered two laps for 83.6 kilometres, while the U23 and Elite Men completed four laps for 167.3 kilometres.
The National Championships began last Sunday with the Individual Time Trials at the inner circuit of the National Park. Marcus Keiler dethroned Aaron Newton to win the Elite time trial crown, while Alexander Leung in the Juniors, Newton in the U23 category and Denise Jeffrey in the Women’s Elite category all repeated as champions.
With the road race now completed, the GCF will turn its attention to finalising youth team selections for upcoming overseas duties, with Sunday’s performances likely to play a key role in those decisions.
The Junior Caribbean Championships are slated for Belize in August while the Elite U23 Caribbean Road Cycling Championships are usually held later in the year.