Mayor of Bartica, Gifford Marshall, has deemed the hosting of the 13th Annual Junior Caribbean Cycling Championships in the town a success.
Last weekend sports enthusiasts flocked to the “Green Town” for the occasion and saw Trinidad and Tobago’s Enrique De Comarmond take the Time Trial and Road Race championship in the junior division while Bermuda’s Alexander Miller copped the Time Trial and Puerto Rico’s Derex Segarra took the Road Race title in the Juvenile category.
Speaking with this publication, Marshall stated, “It means a lot for us to host an international event like this since becoming a town, moreso, cycling which has been one of our favourite activities and it makes us feel honored since it is the first time Guyana hosted the event.”
He added that the championships did a lot for the community, not only for the boat operators, hotels which were fully booked and restaurants but as a town to come together and witness high level competition.
Marshall explained that while the championships did have its difficulties, the municipality “recognized the challenges and will look to improve in the future,” adding that infrastructure and hospitality were two sectors which needed improvement.
He was also confident in the near future of the potential of Bartica to host events of this magnitude which could be recognized and exploited.
“I hope in the near future we could have more international events coming to Bartica and we commit as a municipality to do our best in ensuring it is successful,” Marshall said.
The proud Mayor was adamant that the council was satisfied with the championships and mentioned that in his personal capacity, he was “fortunate to be on the route and see hundreds of residents lining off the streets to cheer on their favourite riders and offer as much support as they could.”
Marshall hinted that Bartica is expected to host two more championships before the year ends but only if all things go according to plan.
