After withdrawing from the ‘Ride for Life’ five-stage event following a 30-second penalty, Team Coco’s riders were a no-show for Sunday’s Digicel’s Breast Cancer Awareness road race prompting cycling enthusiasts to ask the question if the riders were banned from competing.
According to president of the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF), Cheryl Thompson, the riders, including defending champion, Raynauth Jeffrey, must have boycotted the event since the federation did not impose a ban on them.
“The federation did not ban any cyclist,” Thompson told Stabroek Sport yesterday.
“We asked for an apology and that was it, I have no idea why they did not ride on Sunday.”
Thompson asked for an apology at the conclusion of the five-stage race last Sunday after Team Coco’s owner, Ian ‘QB’ Davis labeled the GCF “incompetent” when the 30-second penalty was imposed on his 12-man unit following the second stage due to infringements of the feeding rules.
Quizzed on the future selection of national cyclists, Raynauth Jeffrey and Hamzah Eastman for overseas meets, Thompson stated that:“If they don’t apologize why should I pick them? In the event of that scenario who am I supposed to communicate with, I have to deal with the club not the cyclist.”
An apology is yet to be made.
Thompson added that “If they don’t, the cyclists will suffer, it is in their interest not the management.
“In the first place they (management) don’t care about the cyclist because they would not have withdrawn from the race in the first place.”
Asked whether or not the apology has a specific the frame, the GCF head replied “I’m just waiting, there’s no time frame.” (Emmerson Campbell)
