Last weekend’s John T. Memorial Cycling Race, one of the premier competitions in the region, was sponsored mainly by LIME Anguilla in the sum of US$8,500, the same amount the telecommunications company provided last year.
General Manager in Anguilla, Mark Romney, said the annual cycle race, now in its thirteenth year, was a staple competition on LIME’s calendar of events. He was pleased that the Tourist Board had joined with the Anguilla Cycling Association, in terms of sports tourism, by staging the nearby Valley Street Festival on Saturday, the day of the customary time-trials, before the big cycle race the next day, Sunday, July 8.
“It is always a very touching event given the fact that John T really pioneered the cycling competition …single-handedly at one point,” Romney said. “It is really an honour that we could really celebrate the memorial race.”
He added: “As the main sponsor, we are happy to be on board. It underscores our commitment not just to education and health, but sports as well. We will continue to do our best to bring such an event successfully year after year.”
The sizeable donation was announced at a press conference on Thursday, July 5, at which the President and Vice President of the Anguilla Cycling Association, George Romney, and Derrick Carty, respectively, were present. They outlined the plans for the race and were grateful to LIME for its continued financial support.
The cycling event (reported on elsewhere in this edition of The Anguillian), attracted competing teams from St. Vincent, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, Guyana, Suriname, Santo Domingo, Aruba, St. Martin/St. Maarten, Guadeloupe and host island, Anguilla.