The Antigua and Barbuda Amateur Cycling Association 2011 race Season will officially start on Sunday, February 13th and will run until November 6th, 2011. The Association will open the season by partaking in a 6:15 Church Service to be held at St. Andrew’s Church, to be followed by the annual Opening Season Family Fun Ride.
The Opening Season Family Fun Ride will start at 2pm at Bike Plus on Camacho’s Avenue and will take a new route by heading across to All Saints rd, American rd, Simon Boulevard rd, unto Old Parham rd, Cassada Gardens, Cedar Valley, Longfords, Marble Hill, Fort rd making a stop at Fort James. The ride will proceed back up through Villa, unto Dickenson Bay st, Cross street heading back to Bike Plus. There will be prizes and surprises all in the theme “wear your red for Valentines”.
The first race for the 2011 race season is schedule for Sunday 20th February, on the circuit surrounding the Pan Am Base, starting at 2:30pm. The riders will compete in a 34 lap race to capture eagerly awaited first race amongst the cycling fraternity. This season will feature 5 classes which include A- Class, B-Class, Females, Beginners and Juniors.
This year’s events will field a full complement of the usual riders along with a few new faces, with commitment coming from the reigning National Cycling Champion, Cosmos Richardson, Robert Marsh, Omari King, Dale Richardson, Ken Jackson, Marvin Spencer, Neil Lloyd, Garfield Henry, Patrick Peters, Wayne Henry and Timothy Thomas, Xavier Henry, Abevia McDonald, Daryll Matthew, Andre Simon and Alvin Merrick. The nation’s #1 ranked cyclist, Jyme Bridges will not compete in Antigua for the first half of the season as he took up training in Cuba as part of his Olympic Scholarship which he received through the National Olympic Committee. He is expected back to defend his title and represent Antigua and Barbuda in the 2011 OECS and National Cycling Championships to be held June 5th and 26th respectively.
4 riders received promotion to A-Class, Timothy Thomas, Abevia McDonald, Wayne Henry and Andre Simon based on their outstanding performances during the 2010 season. The 4 will now compete amongst the island’s elite riders. Antigua’s top female riders, Tamiko Butler commit to competing this year as well; she will compete in the female class with the intention to contest in the B-class points series championships. Other females expected to be in the racing arena which include; Lindsay Duffy, Keitha Mannix and the island’s number 1 ranked female cyclist Dorothy Graham.
Plans are in place for the association to host 19 events as part of the local race calendar, climaxing with the hosting of the 2011 OECS Cycling Championships, Top Ranking National Road Cycling Championships and National Individual Time Trial Championships. Other major local events will be the popular Folly Hill Road Race in May, the Matthew’s Road Race and the Antigua Vacations Ltd Shirley Heights Challenge in September. The other events will be Family fun rides, distance and circuit races and Individual Time Trials.