National cycling champion to be crowned this weekend
A very competitive field of cyclists will invade the East Coast Demerara village of Mahaicony today for the
Orville Hinds
Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF) national men’s time trials for the junior, juveniles, veterans and elite categories.
The time trials is scheduled to pedal off from 08:00 hrs from the Mahaicony circuit where juniors, juveniles and veterans will complete 1 lap the equivalent of 5.3 miles and elite cyclists will complete 2 laps.
Top local and overseas cyclists are all expected to grace the starting line for the event that often determines who the strongest are.
The cyclists will have little time to celebrate or ponder over their time trial results as the national road race is schedule for tomorrow, Sunday June 26. The race will start at 11:00 hrs and follow the course around the outer circuit of the National Park for 30 laps covering an approximate distance of 72 miles with the finishing line at the entrance of the Guyana Defence Force.
Team Coco’s Raynauth Jeffrey, back in the country after stints in Colombia and the United States is confident heading into the weekend after placing in the top five (5) in the Castrol Father’s day road race over the weekend. His teammate Hamza Eastman is the defending Time Trial and Road Race champion and should be considered a favourite due to his ongoing racing and training also in Colombia and the United States.
However, both courses are very different this time round and team Evolution’s Orville Hinds must be taken into the equation since the Lindener has been dominant across the local scene this season. Teammates Michel Anthony and Raul Leal are enjoying consistent success and may also pose a threat to the tile of national champion.
Overseas based Scott Savory is also in excellent form and could also be considered a dark horse for the races providing he adjusts quickly to local conditions.
The GCF will use these races to select teams to represent Guyana at regional and international meets, thus intense cycling is anticipated.
