Robin Persaud prevailed over 37 other skilled wheelsmen to win yesterday’s third stage edging Team Coco’s Darren Matthews in a thrilling two-man sprint finish.
Persaud’s heroics however, were not enough to unseat Team Coco’s Raynauth Jeffrey (first stage winner) and his Barbados-born club mate Matthews (second stage winner) who are still the race leaders heading into today’s penultimate stage in Essequibo.
Matthews and another Team Coco’s standout, Jaime Ramirez (last year’s five-stage winner) attacked Persaud in the final mile of the race but the evergreen 38-year old from Carlton Wheelers Cycle Club caught the Bajan in the finishing straight to grind out the victory.
Persaud, who started the stage some three minutes and 25 seconds off the lead, clocked 58 minutes and 42 seconds over the 35-mile trek that pedaled off in Wales and ended at Parika.
The Colombian, Ramirez completed the podium while Roraima Bikers Club ace rider, Alanzo Greaves, Geron Williams (Continental Cycle Club) and Scott Savoury sprinted in three-seconds off the pace in fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.
Jeffrey and the other riders registered a bunch time of 58 minutes and 55 seconds.
Yesterday’s stage rolled off at a blistering pace with Greaves taking it to his rivals from the smoke of the pistol.
Matthews, Ramirez, Savoury, Godfrey Pollydore and Rastaff O’Selmo pursued and connected with Greaves with soon after.
Ramirez then staged a solo attack at Bagotville and enjoyed the lead until Matthews and Persaud joined him and never looked back.
The lead trio worked as a unit and held off several attacks by the peloton until team work was thrown out the window paving way for the sprint finish which Persaud won by a bike length.
Today’s penultimate stage will pedal off at 07:30 hrs at Supenaam and conclude at Suddie (62 miles) while tomorrow, the final stage will begin at 8:30 hrs with the cyclists riding from Linden and finishing on Homestretch Avenue in Georgetown in another 62-mile race.
All top 10 finishers will receive cash prizes and trophies.
The top three finishers will receive US$1,000 and a trophy, US$750 and a trophy and US$500 and a trophy respectively.
