By Neto Baptiste
Cyclists across Antigua will lock horns over the weekend as the Antigua and Barbuda Cycling Federation (ABCF) hosts its National Championships with the Inet Individual Time Trial on Saturday, and the Top Ranking Individual Road Race on Sunday.
The races will be the first since the passing of former national cyclist, Andre Simon, who died on June 8.
President of the Antigua and Barbuda Cycling Federation (ABCF), St Clair Williams, said the cyclists would have done their bit to honour his memory last weekend and are ready to compete in the nationals.
“The guys came out in their numbers over the weekend because they had to do something after they would have gotten that [sad] news. They came out in their number over the weekend, and they did a little fun ride, a fundraiser, and that was just at the drop of a hat and they would have raised quite a bit of money to contribute to his return to Antigua. Yes, it is still fresh in their minds, but I think they would still want us to continue with the national championships, because as a former national champion, which Andre was, that is what he would have wanted as well,” he said.
Saturday’s time trial is slated to pedal off at 8:00 am from the Police Recreation Grounds, while Sunday’s road race will start outside the Top Ranking store on the Old Parham Road at the same time on Sunday.
“We will start doing the registration about 6:45 am to 7:00 am and that registration closes at 7:45 am, and that’s the same thing on Sunday as well for the Top Ranking National Road Race,” the president said.
Meanwhile, founder and owner of Top Ranking Ltd, Nathaniel “Nato” Maynard, sponsor of the Individual Road Race for over 3o years, said that his love for the sport is what keeps him involved.
“I was a cyclist myself, and I used to ride around on my bike because my bike was my means of transportation at one time. In an organised fashion, Dalton from Rockersville, we came together and decided to do something like that because they had a very vibrant club in the Rockersville area, with a lot of cyclists so we decided to go at it,” he said.
Registration for the event is $20 for members and $50 for non-members.
