Double second play for Vincentian cyclists in OECS championships

Vincentian cyclists who contested last Sunday’s staging of the National Lotteries Authority OECS Cycling Championships on home soil, were only able to deliver second places in the Junior and Senior categories.{{more}}

Zefal Bailey had to play second string to Antiguan Tasheed Gordon, who retained the Junior title in the 70-mile road race.

Bailey clocked 3 hours 24 minutes 18.749 seconds, which placed him seventh among the 20 finishers.

He was also the first Vincentian to hit the finish line.

Almost sidelined from competing because of ill health, as he came down with a virus a few days prior, Bailey said at the end of the race, “I was praying for the race to finish.”

Gordon, who also won in St Lucia in 2013, timed 3 hours 20 minutes 20.457 seconds.

Grenadian Hudson Dowden was third among the juniors. His time was 3 hours 54 minutes 59.294 seconds.

St Vincent and the Grenadines’ other second place was pouched in the Veterans’ category by the evergreen Peter Durrant.

Chirping throughout the race, Durrant completed the course in 3 hours 48 minutes 54.180 seconds.

Durrant was the 12th cyclist to the finish line.

The other Vincentians to finish the course were Randy Wilkinson – 9th; Cammie Adams – 10th; with Deptor Culzac – 12th; Orano Andrews – 14th; Martin Bollers – 17th and Desmond Cox and Orel George – 18th and 19th respectively.

Meanwhile, Lucky Antrobus, Steve Ollivierre and Curtis Lewis did not finish.

They joined four others who did not complete the distance that took the cyclists from Colonarie to Georgetown, then back to Mt Grenan, which was one lap of the eight-and-a-half-lap course.

Twenty-seven cyclists started the race, which started and ended at Colonarie. (RT)