Team Heatwave’s Philip Clarke stood atop the podium step when the curtains came down on the 40th edition of the Independence Three-Stage road race yesterday.
After two grueling days and 165 miles of racing, the Barbados-born Clarke was declared the winner of the coveted award by a single point for the prestigious event which was sponsored by the National Sports Commission (NSC).
The 48 year-old who is a standout of the Trinidad and Tobago based Heatwave team, proved that age is just a number and was a model of consistency on his saddle throughout the rainy weekend of racing.
After finishing fourth on Saturday morning in the initial 40-mile stage from Corriverton to New Amsterdam which was won by Romello Crawford, he followed up with an emphatic win in the second stage from the Berbice Bridge to CARIFESTA Avenue a few hours later.
Yesterday, Clarke, the oldest rider to win the event overall, then finished fifth in the 65-mile finale from Linden to Homestretch Avenue which was won by another top veteran, Robin Persaud.
Clarke finished with 35 points overall to ride off with the spoils while Crawford and Curtis Dey of Team KFC Evolution finished with 34 points apiece.
Dey, finished second in the first two stages and then followed up with a sixth place finish in the final leg.
Persaud (27 points), 15-year-old Alex Leung (17 points) and Antigua-based, Emmanuel Gayral (14 points) completed the top six overall positions.
Meanwhile, Clavecia Spencer was once again the winner in the female category while Leung, the youngest rider to complete the three stages, was the top junior rider. Persaud led all veteran riders with Kwame Ridley and Alex Mendes placing second and third in the category.
The event, which was declared a success, attracted in excess of 50 riders, 13 from overseas.
Guyana’s longest tenured cycling fixture was sponsored by the NSC to the tune of more than $2M. Brief congratulatory remarks were made by Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle who made presentations during the closing ceremony held at the newly constructed Central Fire Station on Homestretch Avenue.
