By Lloyd Conway
Former national cyclist Aubrey Gordon won the gold medal at this month’s 60 kilometres UCI World Masters Criterium Road Race in the men’s 50-54 years age category in Sydney, Australia.
According to Gordon’s coach and manager, former local cycling star Victor Rutherford, Gordon copped the gold in the three-lap Criterium beating Australians Stephen Darracott and Ivan Colig into second and third places respectively in a field of 25 starters.
Chris Faithful of New Zealand finished fourth, Vladimir Zyryanov of the Russian Federation, fifth and Philip Gates of Australia, sixth.
There were 20 Australians in the fast-paced Criterium which experienced a few exciting breakaways but came down to a bunch sprint when Gordon triumphed, signaling that he is still a world class competitor.
The US-based Gordon also participated in a Road Race but suffered a busted spoke and, after stopping to fix it, he did not reconnect with the leading bunch.
Rutherford also disclosed that at the World Masters Track Championships at the Dunc Gray Velodrome, in Sydney, Gordon rode the Points Race and the Scratch Race (mass start event), reaching the finals of both events, and finishing seventh and fourth respectively.
While Gordon was very elated to have won the Gold, he felt he should have returned with more medals having undergone special preparation for the meet. He had represented Guyana at the 1980, 1984 and 1988 Olympics.
“I do agree that I had also expected more medals knowing his preparations but the mechanical problem in the road race and a tactical error in the scratch race did not help,” Rutherford said.
“We had made a commitment this year to focus on the World Games so Aubrey skipped the US Nationals,” Rutherford added.
Meanwhile, Gordon has expressed many thanks to his club, Liberty Cycles of New Jersey, for assisting with finances for his travel to Australia and he was also able to get a new Colnago road bike.
“For next year we will have to find a way to get him a new track bike also for the 2010 Worlds which will be held in Lisbon, Portugal,” his manager-coach said.
At this year’s Masters also former national cyclist Bruce Camacho who resides in Canada, rode very well and placed sixth in his Criterium event but he did not ride the track races.
Another Guyanese cyclist Cecil Bernard made the final of the 45 to 49 age category Scratch Race while Trinidadian Patrick Gellineau placed second in the 55 to 60 category Points Race and third in the Scratch Race.
