Briton John’s phenomenal form and season continued as many predicted yesterday when he took first place in the Category 1-3 Road Race staged by the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF) in their newly started ‘Points’ system.
With the race divided into respective categories per international standards, with Categories 1–3 being the highest bracket of cyclists, John eased to victory. The race started from Homestretch Avenue in Georgetown, with the cyclists heading up to the Umbrella Resort on the Linden/Soesdyke Highway before heading back to their point of origin for the finish.
While John crossed the finish line without a challenger in sight, KFC Evolution’s Christopher Griffith, Segun Hubbard, Kaieteur Attack’s Jamual John, KFC Evolution’s Cortis Dey, Kaieteur Attack’s Alex Mendes, Kwame Ridley, Robin Persaud, and Paul De Nobrega all finished second through ninth in that exact order.
Meanwhile, in Categories 4–5, KFC Evolution’s Roy Mangru was victorious, while Kaieteur Attack’s Dave Bissoon settled for second place.
Alexander Leung, much like his United We Stand teammate Briton John, has established his own brand of dominance in the Junior category and yet again won ahead of Kaieteur Attack’s Sidwell Sandy and KFC Evolution’s Daniel Jiang, who came in second and third, respectively.
KFC Evolution’s Mark Spencer took top honours in the Over-50 category, with Team Coco’s Junior Niles settling for second and Continental’s Tyron Conway finishing third.
Notably, there was just one female cyclist, Kaieteur Attack’s Simone Sandy, who rode unchallenged in her category.
Yesterday’s race was the beginning of what will be a weekly road race staged by the GCF, scheduled for every Sunday. According to officials from the GCF, the road races, along with National Park races on every first and third Saturday, are part of its effort to promote more cycling events in a bid to keep cyclists competitive and boost their fitness levels.
The top 10 cyclists in each category of the races will be awarded points ranging from 15 (first place) to one (10th place). After the season ends, the GCF plans on hosting an award ceremony where top performers will be honoured.
