Bentley returns to dominate
Wins 35-lap cycle race
By Michael DaSilva
Stabroek News
June 20, 2004
Jude Bentley returned to his winning ways yesterday when he copped top honours in the feature 35-lap event of the P & P Insurance Brokers-sponsored 10-race cycle programme at the National Park.
After a lay-off of just about one year, Bentley clocked one hour 20 minutes 21.56 seconds, winning from Gordon Kennedy and Warren McKay respectively.
Bentley also captured five of the eight prime prizes that were up for grabs while Kennedy took the other three.
Marlon Morrison, Vinesh Narine and Marlon Williams finished fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.
After being sent on their way, Bentley and Kennedy took up their positions at the head of the pack and after completing two laps, the two broke from the pack and worked in tandem to establish a sizeable lead.
After playing the cat-and-mouse game with the rest of the pack for approximately four laps, Williams, Alonzo Greaves and Jaikarran Sahadeo broke away and went in pursuit of the two leaders but their efforts were in vain since the duo up front kept extending their lead with every rotation of their wheels.
Seventeen laps into the race, Bentley and Kennedy lapped the rear pack, which was headed by Leer Nunes and soon after, the leading duo lapped Williams, Greaves and Sahadeo.
This took the fight out of the chasing trio, but the first one to feel the pressure was Greaves who was sucked in by the third bunch.
Coming for the finish, Kennedy attacked at the 150-metre mark but Bentley used his superior power to pass him in the home stretch and won by half a length.
The sprint for the other three places started at the 150-metre mark also, and here, McKay out-sprinted the other two. Williams also easily out-sprinted the bunch to take sixth place.
In other results, Greaves won the juveniles 10-lap race from Shane Boodhram and Albert Philander respectively while Linden Burrowes captured the five-lap race for upright cyclists. Second was Bochel Samaroo and third Darrel Peters.
Linden Blackman won the veterans under-45 years of age five-lap event from Virgil Jones while Patrick Santos took the veterans over-45 years of age five-lap race from Maurice Fagundes and Krishandat Suknanan.
The three-lap racing cycle race for boys 12-14 years old was won by Geron Williams. Second was T. Chan and third Chris Persaud.
Mario Providence won the BMX boys 6-9 years two-lap event from Jonathan DeAbreu and Kevin Chan respectively, while Jonathan Fagundes won the BMX boys 9-12 years three-lap race from Romario Bhagwandin.
The BMX girls 6-12 years one-lap event was won by Ashley Lall. Second was Sheri-Ann DeAbreu while Usha Jai Singh placed third.
Marlon Hunte won the BMX boys three-lap race from Kevin Chattergan and R. Thomas respectively.