Cycling Federation Reduces Participation In Hopes Of Hosting A Successful Time Trial

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Cyclists will compete in a time trial set for Bethesda on Sunday.
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By Neto Baptiste

President of the Antigua and Barbuda Cycling Federation (ABCF) St. Clair Williams is anticipating a dip in participation for the body’s second event on the 2021 calendar, an individual time trial slated for Sunday in and around the Bethesda community.

Williams, while speaking on the Good Morning Jojo Sports Show, said a number of factors that were enforced by the federation would account for the decline in participation.

“We are not going utilise the under-12 category for a lot of different reasons including starting and finishing the race in a speedily fashion and in addition to that, reduce the number of persons watching the race because for this race we are promoting no spectators at the sides,” he said.

“We have now, for the third consecutive year, partnered with the provider which provides the fastest internet in Antigua, so we will be streaming our race live via Facebook and by now everybody would know that APUA Inet is powering our race; every single race,” he added.

Despite the orchestrated decline in participation, Williams believes the event will be a hit as it comfortably allows cyclists the benefits of competing against each other while maintaining a safe distance on the course.

“This is the most effective race we can utilise in this period and we are talking about the Covid-19 period so we are going to hit our second race of the season with a time trial that will be leaving from the cricket field in Bethesda. We are going to travel out, make a left by the concrete factory, down Potworks Dam, past Blackout and then as we get to the turn in by Quintin we make a U-turn and head back to Bethesda,” he said.

The cycling boss explained that competitors in a time trial race against both the opposing cyclists and the clock. Their previous performances in similar races will determine at what number they sprint from the start line.

“We will look back at previous time trials and we go according to rankings, so whosoever won the last one they would go off last, because they have that sort of preference to go off in the last spot. So the person who probably had the most time or came in last, they will take off first and that format will transcend all the categories,” Williams said.

Sean Weathered and his Terminix teammates, Jeffrey Kelsick and Rene Gayrell Jr, dominated the first race of the 2021 cycling season, the Pan Am Base Criterium, held January 24 in Coolidge.

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