NSC Independence 3-Stage Road Race
By Michelangelo Jacobus
In what many former cyclists and officials in cycling contend is an unprecedented feat, United We Stand’s Briton John turned in another masterful performance yesterday to clinch the third and final stage of the NSC Independence 3-Stage Cycling Road Race, in the process making a clean sweep of the event.
After turning in record-breaking (unofficial) times in the first two stages, John once again crossed the finish line at Homestretch Avenue in Georgetown unchallenged, stopping the clock at two hours, 47 minutes, and 46 seconds to win outright and crowing a clinical two days of superb riding across the roadways of Berbice and Demerara. While the race moved off from Linden, the cyclists stuck together as a pack for the first half of the route, but in a calculated move, John attacked to lead a three-man breakaway with Trinidadian Enrique De Comarmond and Barbadian Phillip Clarke in tow. However, they could not keep up with John’s superior stamina and endurance as he distanced himself from the two foreigners. De Comarmond managed to retain his second position, following John to the line. Clarke, on the other hand, was roped in by KFC Evolution’s Cortis Dey, the latter clinching third place to cap a decent all-round weekend.
Clarke ended up finishing outside of the top six altogether, as Kriston George, Segun Hubbard, and Demitri Madamsir all rounded fourth through sixth in that exact order.
On the distaff side of things, Heatwave Cycle Club’s Chyanne Awai also made a clean sweep of all three stages with her third win of the weekend, with Surinamese Loffe Keikis and Kaieteur Attack’s Abigail Jeffrey clinching second and third places, respectively, mirroring the results from stages one and two.
In other overall category results, Kaieteur Attack’s Roy Mangru clinched the Category 4-5 title, with Mark Spencer and Seaborne Fernandes taking second and third. Meanwhile, KFC’s Robin Persaud took home the Veteran’s (Over 45) trophy and corresponding cash prize, with Phillip Clarke and Ian Jackson finishing second and third, respectively.
Alexander Leung clinched the Junior division, while Alex Newton was the top Juvenile cyclist. Briton John accumulated 45 points (15 for each victory) for the overall win, while De Comarmond had 34 for second. Cortis Dey tallied 28 for third place, with Joryn Simpson (15), Robin Persaud (13) and Paul De Nobrega (12) placing fourth to sixth in that order.
Speaking to Stabroek Sports after his three-stage feat, Briton John revealed that he never felt under pressure but stuck to his game plans, which bore the fruits of his labour. “It’s a really good feeling, and I will continue to push harder to up my game,” the ever-confident John stated.
The Guyana Cycling Federation’s (GCF) President, Horace Burrowes, told this publication that overall the event went off smoothly, albeit with some minor hurdles that the GCF had to overcome.
“I think things went well, but in any case, we are looking to improve in the future. I was really impressed with Briton’s prowess; I have never seen another cyclist like him. From the time we (United We Stand) took him under our wings, he has continued to improve by leaps and bounds; what we are seeing now is just the end product of his hard work.”
John’s record-breaking time in the first stage (Corriverton to New Amsterdam) was 1 hour, 44 minutes, and 0.5 seconds, while he clocked 2 hours, 22 minutes, and 5.95 seconds in the second leg from Berbice Bridge to Carifesta Avenue, Georgetown. For his efforts, John cashed out $160,000 to go along with his trophy.
