Former junior cycling prodigy, Raynauth Jeffrey will look to out-pedal his rivals and claim back-to-back titles at the annual two-day National Cycling Championships which rolls off tomorrow.
The talented 19-year old who copped the junior championship trophy last year, has now graduated to the senior ranks and is looking forward to making a winning transition by pedalling his way to the top of the podium.
“I’m in the peak of condition and I’m ready for this Championship”, the self-confident Jeffrey told Stabroek Sport yesterday.
“I won the Time Trial and the Road Race as a junior last year so now that I am a senior I’m definitely focused on taking home the senior title, like all the other cyclists I want to win” the ace rider declared.
The bronze medallist at last year’s Junior Caribbean Cycling Championships who journeyed to the high altitude country of Colombia for a month-long training stint in April with his Team Coco’s club mates, Paul DeNobrega, Christopher Holder and Raul Leal said that the training could work in their favour.
“We trained in the hills in Colombia where we sometimes bled through our noses because of the high altitude, so the hills in Linden should not be too hard for us, I hope that the training we did in Colombia will pay off and get us (Team Coco) on the podium”.
Guyana’s arguably most consistent cyclist has won five signature events for this year, the last one, (The 14th annual Father’s Day 50-mile Road Race) by in excess of four minutes.
Many cycling pundits expect a fierce two-man battle between Jeffrey and the in-form national cycling star, Alanzo Greaves who has chalked up eight wins on the local circuit as well as three victories in the United States of America during a 30-day stint spanning May and June.
Junior Sportsman of the Year, DeNobrega, last year’s road race champion, Orville Hinds and other national cyclists, Robin Persaud, Jude Bentley, Warren ’40’ McKay and Marlon ‘Fishy’ Williams are also in the mix for this year’s title of Senior road race champion. What does Jeffrey think of the competition?
“In sports it is always the best man that wins and hopefully this weekend I will be the best man”.
Tomorrow the Time Trials will commence from Madewini (hill after Splashmins) to the first toll station and return to the point of origin.
All cyclists are required to be at the starting line at 13:00hrs for registration. On Sunday, the riders are asked to be at the starting point at Homestretch Avenue at 6:00am for registration of the road race.
The road race will pedal off at 7:00am with the senior riders proceeding to Seweyo and returning to Homestretch for the finish.
Veterans and Females will turn back at Kuru Kururu while junior riders will turn back at Long Creek.
The rules and regulations for the National Cycling Championship are as follows:
1. All cyclists must produce their licence (issued in 2013 by the Guyana Cycling Federation) at the point of registration for the Trials and Road Race tomorrow and Sunday.
2. All cyclists must be attired in the uniform submitted by their respective clubs to the Federation in 2013.
3. Junior cyclists would be subjected to the regulated gear ratio for participation at the National Championships.
4. List of cyclists and appointed Manager should have been submitted to the Secretary, Guyana Cycling Federation, Olympic House 76, High Street, Kingston, on or before 4.00 pm yesterday.
5. Only cyclists registered with the Guyana Cycling Federation would be eligible for participation at the National Championship 2013.
