| On Sunday, July 17th, competitor # 29, Mr. Walter Grant Stewart, captured the heart of the Anguillian community as well as the wider Caribbean region not only for winning the 12th edition of the John T Memorial but doing so with only one arm. |
Walter who hails from Guyana, lost his right arm in an accident over three years ago, however he did not allow his disability to prevent him from competing in the sport. Hundreds of spectators flooded the roadsides of Anguilla to see the ‘one armed man’ with their own eyes as many could not believe and were utterly amazed as Walter managed to stay in the leading pack for the major portion of the race before taking the lead on the last lap. Walter trekked some 164.00 km while using his one arm to control both front and rear brakes and to shift gears on a bike that was not modified in any way to accommodate his disability. He finished in 3 hours, 43 minutes and 12.690 seconds ( 3:43:12.690 )
At the award ceremony Walter thanked the Anguillian community for making him feel at home and for all their support. In addition to his awards spectators began to collect donations to contribute towards Walter.
Two Anguillian brothers finished in Top 10
Mr. Danny Laud and younger brother Elroy Laud both of the Stingers cycling club finished 6th and 8th respectively in the senior category. Danny, a member of the 2010 Commonwealth cycling team in India received an award for being the first Anguillian to finish the race. His younger brother Elroy rode in the junior category on the previous day where he placed first. To this day no Anguillian has won the John T Memorial Cycling Race.
Also for the first time in John T history, transponders were used to record the time and positions of the cyclist. This is a high tech system that is used in cycling competitions all across the globe. The transponders are strapped to the frame of the bike and as they pass the start/finish line they transmit a radio signal to a receiver that relays the cyclist’s time, and position among other information to a computer. The system was operated by Roland Morgan and assisted by George A. Baptiste.
The top 15 positions in the senior race are as follows: Arthur D Ward Jr |
