Top cyclists to match endurance in annual three-stager
Guyana Chronicle
May 7, 2002
SOME of the country’s top cyclists will match endurance in the three-stage road race next week Saturday and Sunday.
The 292 kilometres course will start at 7:30 hrs from the Corriverton Police Station on Saturday, May 18, ending at New Amsterdam for the first stage.
Wheelers will continue at 14:30 hrs from Rosignol for the second stage and finish at Carifesta Avenue in Georgetown.
The third and final stage is set for the following day, riding off from Kara Kara, Linden at 08:00 hrs and ending at Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown.
Competitors and officials will leave for Corriverton on Friday, May 17, from the Ministry of Sport, Main Street, at 09:30 hrs.
The annual event is organised by National Cycling Coach Hassan Mohamed. The first was held in 1983. The National Sports Commission has sponsored the event for the past 20 years. It is being held this year for the Independence celebration.
Dwayne Gibbs is the defending champion and has probably signalled his intention to win it a fourth time, having won Sunday’s West Demerara road race. Gibbs won the race in 1999, 2000 and last year, while he set the record with Godfrey Pollydore in 1998.
The reigning champion clocked 7:30:25 hrs, some 22 seconds ahead of second-placer Paul Choo-wee-Nam who ended with a timing of 7:30:47 hrs. Third-placer Jude Bentley completed the race in 7:32:09 hrs.
Gibbs won all three stages last year, but victory was decided from the first stage.
From 60 starters, Gibbs finished the nearly 75 kilometres first leg in 1:46:45 hrs, with Paul Choo-wee-Nam riding second and Raymond Newton third. Others riding in the first six were in descending order Jude Bentley, Leer Nunes and Junior Niles.
The second stage was won by Gibbs, but he registered the same 2:43:07 hrs time, with Choo-wee-Nam and Bentley. Tyrone Hamilton rode in next, followed by Andrew Reece then Richard Hamer.
Gibbs finished the final leg, about half a cycle length ahead of Tyrone Hamilton, both clocking 3:00.54 hrs.
Some 19 racers qualified for the third stage but only 12 faced the starting line at Kara Kara, Linden.