The scheduled meeting involving the executive of the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF) and banned rider Jude Bentley has been rescheduled for a date to be decided based on the request of Bentley’s wife.
A release issued by the GCF stated that Bentley’s wife had telephoned the Federation on Monday to advise that he had to leave the country for important business and was unable to attend the meeting which was scheduled for Tuesday. Mrs. Bentley also requested that the meeting be rescheduled since Jude was expected to return yesterday (Friday).
The meeting is being called by the GCF to discuss issues mutually agreed to by the Federation and Jude, according to the release.
Jude has been serving a ban instituted by the GCF following acts of indiscipline perpetrated by the rider at the Commonwealth Games in 2006 which was held in Australia.
Previous meetings between the parties did not bring the issue to a close and matters escalated on Saturday February 14, 2009 at the National Park when Bentley’s fellow cyclists failed to respond to the starting whistle for the feature 35-lap race of the National Sports Commission Mashramani 11-race programme.
Riders claimed that the period of the ban was way too long and the Federation should deal with the matter definitively.
This will now happen with the parties eager to bring this issue to a close. Bentley had turned up on Sunday February 15 to take part in the 18th annual R&R International 40-mile on the West Demerara but was persuaded by the GCF’s Racing Secretary Hassan Mohamed and his Assistant Malcolm Sonoram that he could not ride but assured him that the matter would be dealt with at the appropriate forum.