National cyclist Alanzo Greaves brought the curtain down on the National Sports Commission (NSC) sponsored three-stage cycle road race with a thrilling sprint victory yesterday but it was teenager, Shaquel Agard who won the overall event.
After two days and 115.5 miles of intense cycle racing, Agard, 19, was declared the three-stage road race winner after preserving his overnight lead.
By virtue of placing third in the 65-mile first stage, winning the second stage (time-trial) and finishing fourth (in the bunch) in yesterday’s 20-lap final which was staged on the outer circuit of the National Park, the Linden Bauxite Flyers standout’s total overall time of four hours, 40 minutes and 25 seconds was enough to see him lift the title.
Michael Anthony (4h:40m.38s)who was third overall heading into yesterday’s final stage behind Agard and Geron Williams, moved up to second overall while Williams (4h:40m:52s) slipped to third overall after suffering an unfortunate puncture with three laps to go while just off the lead.
Greaves (4h:41m.30s) who came back from a one-year ban with a bang, finished fourth while Hamza Eastman (4h:41m.32s) who was edged by Greaves after celebrating before the line, ended in fifth.
While all eyes were on the big names, Agard was the one who stole the spotlight this past weekend.
Knocking on the door all year with consistent top five placings, Agard finally got his breakthrough in the penultimate fixture of the long cycling season.
Admittedly, it was the biggest win of his young career.
“This is my first big stage win and I feel very good about it, beating guys like Geron, the national champion, I feel very good about it,” Agard said in a post-race interview.
Agard, who has shown tremendous consistency and growth throughout his 2016 campaign, said that he looks forward to more success on the saddle in 2017 and beyond.
