St. Martin First In Two Categories, Anguilla Third & Fifth
It was a busy day on the roads of Anguilla on Sunday, July 7, when the 14th Annual John T. Memorial Cycle Race was held with sixty participating riders from a number of Caribbean islands including Anguilla. The cyclists were grouped in three categories – the Elites whose race covered 128 kilometers and the Masters and Juniors who covered a distance of 84 kilometers.
The results were as follows: In the Elites’ race, Maroni Chevalier of St. Martin placedfirst; Russell Elcock of Barbados, second; Jeffrey Raynauth of Guyana, third; Miguel Marechaux of Guadeloupe, fourth; and Sherman (Shortman) Osborne of Anguilla, fifth.
In the Masters’ race, Arthur Keverne of St. Martin placed first; Junior Niles of Guyana, second; and BienveindoCarti of St. Martin, third.
In the race for the Juniors, Edward Sutherland of Barbados placed first; Michael Anthony of Guyana, second; and Ricardo Romney of Anguilla, third.
At the opening ceremony, Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism and Sports, Haydn Hughes, commended the Anguilla Cycling Association and its President, Miguel Leveret, for organising the race in which many cyclists participated. He was of the view that the John T.
Memorial Race was a unifying event in the Caribbean. “It is good to see the number of young cyclists in the race and I believe that with the leadership of the Anguilla Cycling Association and Miguel Leveret that they will bring back a number of young cyclists in the race,” he said. He recalled that the late John Thomas was an avid fan and promoter of cycling which he described as a sport that required serious discipline, leading to the development of various teach life skills.
Minister of Communications, Evan Gumbs, known for his interest in cycling, said he was very happy when the John T. Memorial Race was started in the year 2000 as a tribute to John Thomas and to encourage young cyclists in the race. He noted that next year the Carter Rey road (where the race commenced just in front of LIME Telecoms House) would be re-developed into a very good street to ensure smooth travel for cyclists, motorists and pedestrians alike.
LIME Anguilla’s Marketing Manager, Jade Reymond, welcomed the visiting cyclists to the island on behalf of the management and staff of the company and wished them a safe journey back home. “We are very proud to be one of the platinum sponsors of this race and will continue to play a very prominent role in the community,” she added.
The Anguilla Amateur Cycling Association has congratulated all winners in the John T. Memorial Race. The Association has expressed special thanks to members of the Anguilla teams for their spirited effort, representation and for finishing the race; the visiting cyclists and teams for their participation; the Royal Anguilla Police Force for guiding the traffic and all sponsors of the race.
