Latest update January 20th, 2025 4:00 AM
IGG Cycling…Guyana sweep Road Race; win Male Time Trials, lose Female
By Franklin Wilson
As anticipated, Guyana once again dominated the cycling scene when the 2013 edition of the Inter Guiana Games came off yesterday with the Time Trials and Road Race, respectively.
The six member Guyana team (2 females 4 males) swept to victory in the Road Race on the West Demerara with the Surinamese, the other country taking part just able to cop one third place, and that was in the female category.
Back to back female champion, Marica Dick was way too strong for any of the other competitors winning the 40km contest in One Hour 18 Minutes 34.12 Seconds, more than 12 minutes ahead of second place and fellow countrywoman Toshwanna Doris who crossed the in One Hour 30 Minutes 36 Seconds.
The victorious Guyana Cycling team with GCF President Cheryl Thompson (2nd left) and National Coach Hassan Mohamed (right) yesterday. From left, Shaquel Agard, Toshwanna Doris, Akeem Arthur, Marica Dick and Hamza Eastman.
Surinamese Tania Slyngaard was third, losing the sprint home to Doris. It was sweet revenge for the Guyanese females who had lost the Team Time Trials to the Surinamese yesterday morning at the National Park.
Yesterday’s road race pedaled off at the Nismes Gas Station and saw the ladies going all the way to Leonora on the West Coast of Demerara before returning to the starting line for the finish. Dick took the early lead and never looked back. She actually joined the male competitors around Vreed-en-hoop and the rest is history.
Among the males, it was a different story as the young Guyanese proved that we are the best in the Caribbean by sweeping both events.
Multi talented sportsman, Hamza Eastman, who is also an accomplished Karateka, stepped up to the plate to lead his countrymen to a sweep of the top three spots after losing the services of Paul DeNobrega who did not ride in the afternoon even after leading the Guyanese to victory in the Time Trials.
Eastman crossed the line in One Hour 39 Minutes 42.34 Seconds to comfortably win the 60km race from Nismes to Vergenoegen and back from Shaquel Agard. Akeem Arthur placed third in One Hour 48 Minutes 05.73 Seconds.
Earlier, Guyana’s males (De Nobrega, Arthur, Eastman, Agard) won the 10km Time Trials in 12 Minutes 22.37 Seconds more than one minute ahead of the Surinamese quartet of Safan Renfurm, Daryell Liauw, Dion Laiuw and Jaleel Mcrooy which finished in 13 Minutes 30.46 Seconds.
The Surinamese females fielding a full strength team (Maravella Springer, Zuelga Burnel, Tamia Slyngaard) won the 6km contest in 8 Minutes 07.60 Seconds with Guyana’s Marica Dick and Tashwanna Doris finishing in 8 Minutes 22.96 Seconds.
Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF) President Cheryl Thompson, who was on hand to support her charges, said that she was very impressed and happy with their performances.
“These are the youngsters who have just returned from the Caribbean junior championships and I must say their performance was exceptionally well. Hamza Eastman unfortunately did not finish due to a burst chain close to the end of the race but he came here today and redeemed himself, he was impressive and I look forward to greater things from this youngster. The ladies have also made us proud.”
National Coach Hassan Mohamed also weighed in on the success of the Guyana team for the third consecutive year: “I am very happy with the results. We have a very good crop of young cyclists. We beat them in Suriname in 2011, we repeated last year in Guyana and this year again and I’m very happy about it.”
Mohamed noted that it would be a difficult task to select a junior national team given the amount of eligible riders who are all very good.
“We have a lot of them banging at the door but I am glad about that. Our women also did us proud but I would like to see more women coming forward so we could have a full team next time around.”
The success of Guyana’s cycling Mohamed noted can be attributed to the regular cycling events that are held with the riders being afforded consistent opportunities to compete.
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