Alex Mendes finally had his proud moment atop the saddle yesterday.
After earning several top three and six finishes on the circuit earlier in the season, the veteran rider kicked off August’s racing calendar with a victory in the 16th edition of the Ricks and Sari/Reagan Rodrigues Memorial road race.
Staged at West Demerara, Mendes made hay in the brilliant sunshine, out riding a quality field of wheelmen in the 46-mile event to earn his first signature win of this year’s campaign.
Clad in a neon green and black racing kit, Mendes stopped the clock in a brisk 1h: 40m. 26s for the annual event which was staged from Schoonord to Parika and back.
He led breakaway mate, Kemuel Moses and Andre ‘Padlock’ Green onto the podium while Paul Choo-Wee-Nam rode in fourth.
Warren ’40’ McKay led the bunch sprint with Paul DeNobrega close behind to round out the top six senior rewarding positions.
Mendes, Choo-Wee-Nam and McKay also took home the top three prizes for the veterans.
Mario Washington continued his sublime form in the junior division, winning ahead of Alex Leung and Aaron Newton.
Suzanne Hamilton once again turned back the challenge of Clavicia Spencer to take the spoils in the female category while Ian Jackson, Shameer Baskh and Kennard Lovell were the top three finishers in the Masters Over-50 class.
Upon completion of the fixture, the family members of Rodrigues and the staff of Ricks and Sari Agro Industries Limited distributed prizes and Rainforest water to the standout cyclists.
Rodrigues was born on February 21, 1948 and passed away on August 4, 2004. During his lifetime he served as the President of Carlton Wheelers Cycling Club and was also a champion race car driver.
