By Emmerson Campbell
Olympic hopeful Alonzo Greaves yesterday sped off with the feature 35-lap Invitational race when national cycling coach Hassan Mohammed and Ricks and Sari Agro Industries Limited staged an 11-race cycling meet at the National Park circuit, Thomas Lands. This is the 19th year that Ricks and Sari Agro Industries Limited has teamed up with Mohammed to sponsor the ‘Teach Them Young’ programme.
Greaves won the event in one hour, 19 minutes and 10 seconds, leading the top six of Warren ‘40’ McKay, Robin Persaud, Mark Lewis, Geron Williams and Orville Hinds respectively home.
McKay, Persaud and Hinds also earned a prime prize each while five went to junior Raul Leal. The first cycling event for 2012 saw two juniors Raynauth Jeffrey and Leal taking the race to the seniors. The duo separated themselves from the fifth lap and journeyed together until the 26th lap.
At this point, Williams took the lead followed by Walter Grant–Stewart and Jeffrey. With five laps to go, Williams was caught by Greaves, Persaud, Lewis, McKay and Hinds.
The peloton kept changing its leaders until the final lap.
With about 400m to go, the top six finishers were still bunched together. But Greaves went into overdrive and sprinted to victory, edging McKay for the top spot.
Jhonnick LaRose won the BMX boys 12 to 14 years, two-lap race ahead of Shemar Dass and Deeraj Gharbarran respectively.
Dass, however, won the boys nine-to-12 years, three-lap race ahead of Yusuff Latiff and Gharbarran respectively.
Junior Niles rode off with the Veterans under-50, five–lap first place trophy and the prime prize beating Raymond Newton and Thuran Harris who were second and third respectively. Adrian Sharma took top honours in the three-lap BMX boys Open race ahead of Cleveland King and Makel Diaz.
In the 12-to-14-years, boys and girls, three-lap race, Ramoris Samuels, Naomi Singh and Alpha Khan were the top three finishers in that order. The prime prize also went to Samuels.
In the five-lap Veterans over-50 race, Wilfred Thom was first followed by Harry Lall and Krishnan Singh respectively.
Monty Parris won the Veterans over-60 years race ahead of Maurice Fagundes. Parris and Fagundes were the only two riders in that category.Michael Anthony won the juniors and juveniles 10-lap race in a time of 24 minutes and 42 seconds ahead of Leal and Akeem Arthur.
The race for Upright cyclists was won by Richard Charles with Mario King placing second and Kron Henry crossing the finish line third. The two-lap BMX boys six-to-nine years race was won by Stephon Smith with Jamal Arthur and Denzil Huntley pedaling second and third respectively. At the prize giving ceremony, Mohammed thanked the representatives of Ricks and Sari for their sponsorship and the cyclists for participating in the meet and making the programme a uccessful one.
He also announced that a 40-mile road race will pedal off next Sunday from the Demerara Harbour Bridge to Bushy Park and back. The cycling coach revealed that he has already received sponsorship for four races in February and three in March.
Presentations of prime prizes, hampers and trophies were made by John Lewis, Carlos Rodrigues and Sven D’Oliviera, all representatives of Ricks and Sari.
