Bikers get ready! The most lucrative one-day cycling event on the racing calendar will pedal off this Sunday on Homestretch Avenue.
One tireless wheelsman will pocket an ounce of gold and the champion’s trophy after crossing the finish line of the grueling 80-mile race, first. The ounce of gold, worth approximately $256,261 (US$1,224), will be the highest first place prize for a one-day event this season.
The Seventh Annual Kadir Mohamed Memorial ‘Ounce of Gold’ road race is scheduled for a 7:30hrs start.
Senior, junior and veteran riders under 45 years will proceed to Dora on the Linden Highway while the veterans over 45 years, along with the juveniles and ladies, will journey to the Yarrowkabra junction.
All riders would then return to the point of origin for the finish.
Jamal John (Senior), Curtis Dey (Junior), Junior Niles (Veteran under 45), Ian Jackson (Veteran over 45), Jonathan Ramsuchit (Juveniles) and Jude Bentley (Mountain Bike) were the top categorical performers last year for the Flying Stars Cycling Club-organised fixture.
While the winner will cart off an ounce of gold and a trophy, the equivalent of three ounces of gold in cash will be awarded to the remaining top six finishers overall, and to the cyclists competing in the other categories of the race.
When the calendar flipped to 2018, Dey, the national senior road race champion, graduated to the elite ranks. He, along with the in-form Michael Anthony (2015 winner), Marlon Williams, Walter Grant-Stuart, Geron Williams, Paul DeNobrega and Alonzo Ambrose, are some of the top contenders for the winning spoils. John is currently racing on the North American circuit and more than likely will not be able to defend his title.
Mohamed was an avid sports enthusiast who passed away 22 years ago. The late Imam of Bartica made his presence felt at several sporting events including cycling. The Mohamed family for the past seven years, in conjunction with the Flying Stars Cycling Club, has been honoring his memory by organising arguably the most rewarding road race for local cyclists.
