By Emmerson Campbell
Robin Persaud reclaimed the National Park circuit 35-lap record yesterday when he powered to victory in the 35-lap Schoolboys and Novices category at the 14th annual Troy Humphrey Memorial cycle meet yesterday.
The 10-race cycling meet was sponsored by Humphrey’s Bakery and Farm Products and Kerwin Chase and Family.
Persaud, who briefly held the record of one hour and 16 minutes in September, saw his record being smashed by Godfrey Pollydore at the last ‘Teach Them Young’ meet on October 15.
Pollydore’s time was one hour 15 minutes and 25 seconds. The national cycling captain won yesterday’s feature event in a time of one hour 15 minutes and 21 seconds lowering the previous mark by four seconds.
Persaud, along with juniors Paul DeNobrega, Raynauth Jeffrey, Michael Anthony, Akeem Arthur and Marlon ‘Fishy’ Williams, broke away from the rest of the starters after the sixth lap and rode together up to the 28th lap before they were caught by a group of riders that included Orville Hinds, Eric Sankar and Ian Jackson.
The exciting race which saw the winner of every lap winning a prime prize, heated up with five laps to go. Jeffrey picked up the pace and briefly opened a lead; however Williams, DeNobrega, Sankar, Anthony and Persaud would have none of it and relentlessly pursued him. Jeffrey was as expected caught and the six riders would remain together until Williams increased his pace at the bell lap.
Half way through the final lap Williams accelerated and opened a slight lead on the rest of riders, he would maintain this lead up until about 100 metres from the finish line and seemed destined for victory until a girl tried to cross the circuit.
This mindless behavior on the girl’s part caused Williams to apply his brakes to avoid a collision, allowing Persaud, who was closely behind Williams, to storm to victory. A disappointed Williams had to settle for the fourth position.
Persaud led DeNobrega, Anthony, Williams, Sankar, Hind, Jeffrey, Jackson, Kurt LaRose and Marlon Morrison respectively in the top 10 finishers.
Persaud, also earned the first place cash prize of $20,000 to go along with six prime prizes while 10 prime prizes went to Williams eight to Jeffrey, four to Hinds, two each to Sankar and Anthony and one prime prize each to DeNobrega, Raul Leal and Akeem Arthur.
Hinds was also the recipient of $5000 for catching the lead pack, the cash prize was an incentive paid by Jude Bentley to add motivation to the chase pack.
In other races, Sankar was the winner of the 10- lap senior’s category one to four event. Sankar pedalled in ahead of Morrison and Rastaff O’Selmo.
The Raymond Newton led Roraima Bikers team, won the Team Time Trial event in seven minutes and 44 seconds ahead of DeNobrega’s Continental Cycle team (eight minutes two seconds), Kennard Lovell’s led Flying Stars (eight minutes 20 seconds) and the Hinds’ led Linden Bauxite Flyers (eight minutes 52 seconds).
Hamza Eastman took top honours in the three-lap BMX boys Open race ahead of Jornell Yearwood and Julio Melville.
Jhonnick LaRose won the boys nine-to-11 years, three- lap race ahead of Sanjay Boodlall and Deeraj Garbarran respectively.
The five-lap, veteran’s under-50 years race was won by Raymond Newton ahead of Jackson and Phillip Piggott in that respective order.
In the three-lap veterans over-50 race, Walter Isaacs was first while Monty Parris was second and Wilfred Thom third first.
Jeffrey won the juniors and juveniles 10-lap race ahead of DeNobrega and Raul Leal. Jeffrey also copped the prime prize that was up for grabs. The upright mountain bike 10-lap race was won by Junior Niles with Jude Bentley placing second and Mario King crossing the finish line in third. Niles was the recipient of the prize that was awarded.
The one-lap BMX boys’ six-to-eight years race was won by Jamal Arthur with Filbert Walters and Nicholas D’Andrade second and third respectively.
Special prizes were also awarded to Alonzo Greaves and Geron Williams, two of Guyana’s most talented and promising young cyclists who are nursing injuries. Greaves suffered a broken wrist in September while he was on national team duties in Jamaica while Williams suffered a broken collar bone earlier this month competing in the first stage of the five-stage, Ride For Life road race in Berbice. Presentations of prizes were made by Abigail, Tiffany and Troy Humphrey Jr., the children of the late Troy Humphrey.
George Humphrey, the father of Troy, thanked the cyclists for participating in the meet and making the programme a successful one and promised to make the 15th edition a bigger and better one.
