In intermittent showers at the National Park yesterday, Team United’s Orville Hinds reigned over a field of Guyana’s premier wheelsmen to cart off the spoils of the feature 35-lap event of the ninth annual Diamond Mineral Water 11-race programme.
Despite the imperfect conditions, the national cyclist stopped the clock in one hour, 14 minutes and 45 seconds, the fastest time on the circuit for the year and some 16 seconds better than last year’s winning time.
The 2012 National Road Race champion led Team Roraima’s Warren ‘40’ McKay and last year’s winner of the event, Raynauth Jeffrey onto the podium.
Team Alanis’ Andre Abdool, the elder statesman of the Carlton Wheelers, Robin Persaud and top veteran, Stephen Fernandes placed fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.
In his third win of the season, the Team United standout also pocketed six of the eight sprint prizes, testament to his dominant display on the saddle.
Jeffrey and Godfrey Pollydore were the other recipients of the sprint prizes.
The feature rolled off at a blistering pace with the 25 starters all looking to seize the advantage. Several groups of riders staged mini breaks but were eventually wheeled in by the chase peloton. Jeffrey tried a solo attack in lap 13 but the peloton reconnected with him three laps later.
In the 17th lap however, Hinds changed gears and never looked back lapping Junior Niles and others in the process of riding the final 18 laps by himself. The only theatrics that came at the end of the event was the photo sprint finish for second and third between Jeffrey and McKay who crossed the line 52 seconds after Hinds.
Before the feature event, Niles took the top podium spot in the veteran’s under 50, five-lap race besting Wilbert Benjamin and Ralph Williams who finished second and third respectively. Linden Blackman won the Over-50 category from Virgil Jones.
Sherwin Sampson rode away with the BMX Boys’ 6-9 event from Alexander Leung and Esau Jaisingh. Sampson again took pole position in the BMX Boys’ 9-12 race from Thuran Garbarran.
In the BMX Boys’ 12-14 category, Rawle Small took the top honours ahead of Ammo Gomes and Stephan Williams while Adrian Sharma defeated Jaleel Jackson and Gomes to take the spoils of the BMX 12-14 open event.
Christopher Griffith was the winner of the 12-14 Boys and Girls race ahead of Avish Ramkellawan and Toshwanna Doris. Griffith also won the sprint prize.
Anthony Farriah rode away with the Veterans’ Over-60 trophy (only starter) while Michael Anthony took the top position in the Juveniles 10-lap event. Alonzo Ambrose and Wayne Nurse occupied the second and third spots respectively. Anthony and Ambrose also rode away with a sprint prize each.
Ozia MacAulay carted off the spoils for Mountain Bike race along with the prime prize ahead of arch rivals, Clyde Jacobs and Wayne Nurse.
