-government commits support for hosting of Caribbean Elite Championships
By Michaelangelo Jacobus
Despite being over an hour late to a reception in his honour, Briton John, Guyana’s best cyclist in recent years, soaked up praise and collected several gifts for his recent historic achievement at the Tour Cycliste de Guiana in French Guiana where he narrowly missed out on winning the overall title.
Held at the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Officers Club in Camp Ayanganna, Thomas Lands, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr. was on hand to congratulate John on his second-place finish on behalf of the government and President Irfaan Ali.
What made John’s feat remarkable was that he became the first Guyanese cyclist to grace the podium in the Toure Cycliste de Guiana in 25 years. The last Guyanese to podium was Stephen Mangru who won the event in 1999.
In delivering his address at the reception, Ramson said that “the fraternity of cycling is about to take a turn for the better because mainly of government involvement”. Cycling has long been plagued by inefficient administration and of recent has been on a downward spiral, which is why government support is integral to a revival.