Greaves maintains lead
Marlon ‘Fishy’ Williams took the third of five stages in the second annual Ministry of Health (MOH)/ Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS) ‘Ride for Life’ five stage cycle race from Wales Police Station to Parika in a time of 1:03:19s.
Defending champion Alonso Greaves finished 27 seconds behind Williams to maintain his position at the top of the points table while Tyrone Hamilton, Christopher Holder, first stage winner Robin Persaud and Anguilla’s Claude Richardson occupied the third to sixth position respectively.
- SWIMMING AWAY! Marlon `Fishy’ Williams leads the pack en route to yesterday’s third stage win. (Lawrence Fanfair photo)
After seeing Greaves being presented with his jersey for his second stage win by Director of Sports in the National Sports Commission (NSC) Neil Kumar, Greaves and Trinidadian Colin Wilson made a surge to the front just before the Nismes Primary School, but the peloton led by ‘Fishy’ Williams and including Tony Simon, Raymond Newton, Tyrone Hamilton, Geron Williams, Robin Persaud, Junior Niles and others, reconnected at the entrance to Goed Fortuin.
Ian ‘Dumb Boy’ Jackson, who won last year’s third stage which will be contested today when he outsprinted Enzo Matthews, made a move to the front, where he was joined by Greaves, Hamilton, Wilson and Robin Persaud, but they were wheeled in by the peloton, before Phillip Piggott, Wilson and Mc Kay made another short lived move to the front.
But after being wheeled in by the peloton, Philbert Alexander made a sole move to the front and held a lead of 250 meters over the main peloton that included Greaves, Christopher Holder, Geron Williams, ‘Fishy’ Williams, Newton, Junior Niles, Robin and Christopher Persaud (no relation), Wilson and Hamilton just to name a few.
Being alone in front is not easy, and Alexander who hails out of Buxton on the East Coast of Demerara, found this out as he was caught at Ruimzeight, from which point the race was decided as ‘Fishy’ Williams, Greaves, Hamilton, Holder, Robin Persaud and Anguillan Claude Richardson made a final and unchallenged move to the front.
They stayed together going through the villages of Uitvlugt and Cornelia Ida before Williams, who had the opportunity of winning the second stage of the inaugural race from Rosignol to Carifesta Avenue last year but lost out during a stop for a shoe change, went ahead on the approach to the village of Ruby.
He held a lead of 400 metres, which he increased gradually leading up to the finish at Hydraunie Parika, clasping his hand in a thank you gesture as he finished ahead of Greaves who outsprinted Hamilton to claim the second position and at the same time, cementing his lead at the top of the table.
Leading up to the fourth stage this morning, Greaves, Simon, Niles, Newton are in the lead position, whilst Geron Williams maintains his position in the Junior category over Christopher Holder and Chris Persaud respectively.
