5th Kadir Memorial ‘Ounce of Gold’ 70-mile Cycle Road Race … Eastman golden in victory; Leung, Ellis, Niles, Spencer & Melville are winners too

Oct 17, 2016, Sports, http://www.kaieteurnewsonline....lle-are-winners-too/

By Franklin Wilson

Team Coco’s Hamza Eastman outdueled reigning national Road Race King Geron Williams in an exciting finish to pedal off with the top prize of one ounce of gold and trophy when the 5th annual Kadir Memorial 70-mile cycle road race was contested yesterday from the city to the Linden Soesdyke Highway and back.
This Flying Stars Cycle Club (FSCC) organised event is sponsored by the Kadir family of Bartica and is deemed as the most lucrative cycle race in Guyana.
A total of four (4) ounces of gold in total was distributed in prizes; three (3) to the other winners and top performers apart from the senior winner who received one ounce.
Eastman covered the distance in 3 Hours 09 Minutes 17 Seconds to cap a fine victory on a route that was very windy on the upward journey apart from also being humid.
Williams was followed in the sprint home by Shaquel Agard, Raphael Leung (repeat junior winner), Stephano Husbands, Junior Niles (winner of the under-45 category), Christopher Holder and Paul Choo-Wee-Nam to close out the top eight positions.
Leung took the junior category for the second successive year ahead of Jornel Yearwood, Christopher Cornelius (current Road Race champion) and Andrew Hicks taking the other positions in that order. This quartet of riders was Guyana’s representatives at this year’s Junior Championships that was hosted in St. Lucia.
Niles (3:09’17”), in the U-45 category, which he continues to dominate, took the top prize ahead of Choo Wee Nam and Ralph Williams.
Andrew Spencer, Kennard Lovell and Amrit Singh finished in that order in the Over-45 division with Spencer’s winning time being 2 Hours 26 Minutes 26 Seconds.
A similar time was recorded by the winner of the Mountain Bike class, Julio Melville who won from Ozia Macullay.
Taking the juvenile race was Marion Ellis ahead of Romario Narine.
The race, which pedaled off outside the National Sports Commission on Homestretch Avenue, saw the senior, junior and Under-45 competitors proceeding to Dora (Coca Cola sign) on the Linden Soesdyke Highway before returning to the starting line for the finish while the
Over-45, juveniles and mountain bike cyclists turned back at the first hill after Splashmin’s also on the Linden Soesdyke Highway.
In an invited comment after the race which saw the most cyclists approaching the finish line for a very long time, Eastman stated that it was very competitive, pointing out that the sun was very hot and he is still reacclimatizing following a 6-months stint in Columbia with other Team Coco’s teammates.
This he credited for his high level of fitness.
“I would like to thank my teammates for making the race and result possible for me. Our main objective was to win.”
FSCC Secretary William Howard extended gratitude to the Kadir family for their continued support of the race, pointing out that it is their wish that in the not too distant future that the event can be contested in Bartica which is now classified as Town.
“With the streets now being done and the place being transformed we are hoping that we’ll be able to see the race taking place in Bartica.”