20-year –old Lindener, Shaquel Agard, who closed of the 2016 cycling season comfortably his best, is one to look out for when the 2017 season opens.
The youngster who rides for Linden Bauxite Flyers Cycling Club, began his career at the age of 13 when he developed a liking for the sport, which is not as young as most cyclists but nevertheless, he is one of the most feared wheelsman seven years on.
Speaking with Guyana Times Sport, Agard said “I first entered a cycling race here in Linden and after the first race I ended up liking the sport and wanted to take it serious so I started to train with the cyclist in linden and they were all from the same club ‘linden bauxite flyers cycling club’ so I ended up joining the club.”
Shaquel Agard
Agard remembers one of his earliest out of home riding where the club took him to Berbice and he started developing into a challenging competitor.
By 2013, Agard had emerged as one of the top three junior cyclists in the country, where he placed 3rd in time trials of the National Cycling Championships, second in the road race and from there never looked back. The talented teen then earned a spot on the National team that represented Guyana at the Caribbean Championships in 2013.
Two years later, he became a senior rider where he took a number of races before being able to keep up with some of the other top riders at that time but eventually nurtured his skills to be a dominant force in 2016.
Agard was short listed on the national team to go Caribbean Championships 2016 but “due to certain circumstances”, a national team did not attend the event.
In the local arena Agard broke into the top 10 senior cyclists after a string of consistent performances. Agard immediately rose to fame winning the National Three Stage and then winning the Team Alanis race which saw him move up from 5th position on the cycling rankings, to 3rd, his highest he had ever achieved. He was also able to earn the most improved cyclist of the year.
While the season is closed, Agard still puts in the hours to keep fit and when the 2017 season returns, he is one definitely to keep an eye on.
