Veteran cyclist, Junior Niles outlasted the young guns to take the title of the 19th annual Diamond Mineral Water 46-mile road race yesterday.
Riding from Schoonord, West Bank Demerara to Parika and back, the Team Coco wheelsman stopped the clock in a time of one hour, 41 minutes and 25 seconds, shattering last year’s time by 33 minutes in the Hassan Mohammed MS organized event.
The race, originally set for an 08:30hrs start was forced to begin half an hour later due to the absence of the police outriders who only joined the riders at Leonora heading to the turning point as Niles was trailed by the returning Akeem Wilkinson and Deeraj Garbaran who finished in second and third respectively while Paul DeNobrega, Michael Anthony and Warren McKay ended 4th-6th in that order. Niles, Garbaran, Wilkinson and Kemuel Moses all took two primes.
Niles said he was happy with the performance but was not going to close his cycling season just yet despite the competitive season closing.
The veteran of 32 years on the saddle explained that his body isn’t as young as his competition and for that reason he has to constantly keep training and maintaining a healthy lifestyle but will be resting for just two weeks during the Christmas season. In an invited comment, Assistant Marketing Manager of the company Sherese Leander said she was well entertained by the vigorous competition from the riders, noting that this is her second viewing of the sport and she is already a fan. Leander stated that the company is happy to be associated with the event for a number of years and is confident in its return as the years continue.
Meanwhile in the other events, Adielie Hodge took the juniors title ahead of Emanuel Gayral and Briton John in that order.
Niles also copped the veterans division title with McKay in second and Alexis Mendes in third whereas in the mountain bike division, Ozia McAully continued his dominance with Jamal Chappel and Talim Shaw trailing in second and third respectively.
