The Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) franchise has recognised the outstanding cyclists from Team Evolution.
“Cycling is becoming a noticeable sport in Guyana, and our future as a cycling nation looks very encouraging with the current generation of talented youths who are involved in the sport. KFC (is a) family brand that values individuality, hard work, honesty, commitment, and last but not least, having fun. KFC (is offering) support to develop the Guyanese reputation of producing world class athletes, such as Evolution Cycling Club, who shares similar values”, a release from KFC has said.
Denise Jeffery
In the release, Paul Subryan stated that KFC is confident the series of races throughout the year will be an exciting exhibition of skills and competition that will result in a thrilling experience for all cycling fans.
“KFC takes this opportunity to wish Team Evolution and its competitors well, and we urge the Guyanese public (to) support and experience many of the thrilling races that will occur throughout the year 2019.”
The following cyclists are members of Team Evolution: Marlon “Fishy” Williams is probably one of the most synonymous name in Guyana’s cycling today. He started at the tender age of 14, and after only three years of cycling, he went on to be the first and only Guyanese to have won the Caribbean Senior Road Racing Championships. He has successfully raced for a number of teams throughout the Caribbean in his extraordinary career. He was instrumental in persuading the current principals to form Evolution Cycling, and has successfully ridden for them for a number of years. After a short hiatus to attend to personal matters, he is slowly finding his way back to the sport he loves, and is bent on resuming his winning ways in the near future.
Stephen Fernandes first rode consistently ten years ago, following a stellar career as a national hockey and squash player. He was sidelined from hockey due to knee issues, and had to find another sport to maintain his fitness. Cycling fit the bill perfectly. He rode creditably in the veteran category from 2014 to 2017, taking a short break in 2018 before resuming his training this year. Stephen, a principal and founder member of Team Evolution, is looking to regain his fitness and competitive drive this year to once again become a force in the veteran category.
Andrew Arjoon, the third of the Evolution principals, is a former national squash player, who turned to cycling after multiple knee injuries ended any hopes of playing squash consistently. After a creditable third in his first-ever park race and a bad crash in his first road race, he turned to managing the club and team’s participation in racing events. While he enjoys training with his team mates and other cyclists, his work and travel commitments preclude more consistent training to make racing a reality. He still lives in hope.
Paul De Nobrega entered the cycling scene in 2010. His main motivators were his brother Ricky and two of his uncles — Joe and the late Errol Gonsalves — and coach Wayne Henry, who served to inspire and sponsor him. His ascent in cycling has been nothing short of meteoric, having won the Caribbean Junior Championships by 2012, and following that achievement with the national accolade of Junior Sportsman of the Year in the same year. Paul’s tenure with Evolution over the past two years has been successful, to say the least, and he has been the runner-up in the national points standings for the past two years. He is training hard to improve his performances in order to represent his country at the highest levels and to take top honours in the national points standings.
Christopher “Chicken Legs” Griffith started cycling at the tender age of 12 in the BMX category, placing 3rd in his first-ever race. After spending 4 years in the BMX category, he moved on to the road bike category as a junior. He rode for Team Alanis for over 4 years before joining Team Evolution, where he won his first-ever senior race in his first race for Evolution. He attributes his success to the motivation and training received from local cycling legend Robin Persaud. Christopher is working hard towards a top three finish in 2019, after finishing a commendable 5th overall last year.
Denise Jeffrey is a former national squash player and mother of four children who have all represented Guyana in squash and motor racing. She is now primarily a competitive triathlete who joined Evolution to enhance her cycle training. She has been known to cycle with the men with little to no difficulty, even leaving some of them behind in the process, much to their dismay. Her training continues this year with the aim of entering triathlons in Canada and the USA, and the possibility of competing in local events.
Keith Fernandes, another principal and founder of Evolution Cycling, started cycling in September 2008 as a way to get fit. He started at the same time as his cousin Stephen. As he became fitter and faster, he decided to try his hand at racing. He started racing in 2009, and won for the first time in the Park in 2010. After an inconsistent year of training and racing in 2018, he has found a renewed drive to compete in 2019, and is looking to win his first road race.
Amrit Sankar, one of the original and most enthusiastic members of Evolution, started his cycling career over ten years ago on a mountain bike, and graduated to a road bike a couple of years after. He has been racing for a couple of years now, and enjoys travelling around with his teammates and the sheer thrill of the competition. Amrit is looking forward to racing as much as possible, in order to enhance his race craft in support of the veterans’ division.
