John reigns supreme at 15th Victor Macedo Cycling Road Race

By Michelangelo Jacobus

Team Coco’s youthful and tenacious rider Jamaul John erased the last year defending champion’s winning time en route to capturing the 15th staging of the Victor Macedo Cycling Road Race on Sunday.
Battling the elements and facing tough competition from arch-rivals, John nevertheless prevailed in three hours, five minutes and 11 seconds to eclipse the winning time of three hours, 11 minutes and .70 seconds posted by last year’s winner, Stephano Husbands.
From the get-go John was among the peloton in the early stages of the race, and he kept pace with the pack.

Those in the six-man lead group were Jamaul John, Paul Cho-Wee-Naam, Akeem Wilson, Michael Anthony, GDF’s Alanzo Ambrose, and Raul Leal. They left the main pack on the return leg from Long Creek on the Linden/Soesdyke Highway, and never looked back.
On the final 200-metre stretch, Orville Hinds and Alanzo Ambrose gave John a run for his money in the sprint, but the lanky rider did well to hold off the late challenge and claim his second win in the event thus far in his career.
Coming in second was Alanzo Ambrose; while Orville Hinds placed third, Paul Choo-Wee-Nam fourth, Akeem Wilson fifth, and Raul leal sixth.
A mishap occurred in the race when several riders were involved in a crash, and middle- distance athlete and competitive cyclist Salim Yussuf suffering minor injuries and had to receive medical attention at Diamond Hospital. He was saved from major injuries by his helmet, which was shattered.
Christopher Cornelius was first in the junior category, returning a time of three hours, 16 minutes, 17 seconds; while Nigel Duiguid placed second and Adealie Hodge third.
In the U-45 category, Jaikaran Sookhai carted off the top prize, while Junior Niles was second and Warren McKay third.
Ian Jackson claimed first place in the Over-45 category, while Amrit Sankar was second. Julio Melville came in first for the mountain bikers, while Judah Bentley was second.
The race began at Homestretch Avenue, with the seniors and juniors proceeding to Long Creek on the Linden/Soesdyke Highway before turning back to finish at the place of origin. The veterans, pre-juniors and mountain bikers turned back at the top of the hill just past Splashmin’s Fun Park, and finished on Homestretch Avenue.
The event was sponsored by Macedo Transportation Services, in collaboration with Floyd Macedo, a former cyclist who was very competitive during his time.