Stars of yesteryear...
Dennis Medford rode among the best
Stabroek News
July 15, 2002
Born in Georgetown where he resided with his six brothers and sisters, Dennis is currently residing in Pickering, Canada, with his wife Dinah.
Although Dennis only cycles now for pleasure, he has been involved in bodybuilding for over 20 years, but originally, it was Dennis' dream to become a boxer. Fortunately, he was persuaded to choose a career in cycling.
Dennis was supported and encouraged throughout his career by the late Bunny Ferandes and very quickly, he excelled in the sport, and was dubbed the `Dark Horse'.
Medford rose to cycling prominence in November of 1967 when, as a result of his dominating wins in the `A' class events on the local scene, he was promoted to the international class to represent Guyana.
He rode valiantly against the best riders of the time from the United States of America, the United Kingdom and all of the very best cyclists from surrounding countries in the West Indies.
Notable among these was Trinidad and Tobago's Roger Gibbon, arguably one of the best sprinters the world has ever known at the time.
At one particular meet, Dennis rode to many victories over top class opposition (including Gibbon), and culminated a fine day with his victory in the Grand Finale 25,000-metre event to close the meet and win the coveted `Ted Braithwaithe' award as the `Most Outstanding Cyclist'.
Dennis went on to participate in numerous cycling events over the years, both locally and internationally.
He represented Guyana as a power sprinter on touring teams in the West Indies and the Americas.
Some of these countries included Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Suriname, Jamaica, Venezuela and Martinique to name a few.
His most noteworthy international representation however, was the opportunity to represent Guyana at the World Cycling Championships in Montreal, Canada, in July of 1974.
Most amazing about his talents and physical attributes however, was the fact that in addition to a spectacular career as a sprinter, when on the local scene, he was every bit as stellar in his performance as a long distance road racer.
His performance resume speaks to this fact with numerous road race victories throughout the years.