Neil Thomas wins his 1st race and the NLSCC season opener. Photo by Carmelita Jamieson.

TORTOLA-After a less than favourable performance in the 2007 cycling season due to an early injury, Neil Thomas is hoping to make up for it this year. This he started, by registering his first victory for the year in the first race for Nature’s Little Secrets Cycling Club (NLSCC) the AMS Highway Crit.

The top cycling sprinter out-sprinted three other cyclists on Good Friday to win the 15-lap race in 1hour 30 minutes and 58 seconds, forcing Ray Wearmouth in 2nd place, Mark Smith in 3rd, and Gareth Thomas in 4th. Speaking to the StandPoint after the race, Thomas said he is much more focused this year with his eyes set on the 2008 Caribbean Cycling Championship set for Trinidad and Tobago in October.

He said he is working on his fitness level and will be training very hard and participating in as many races to secure his participation on the team. In the Mountain Bike Club’s the Loose Mongoose race held recently, Thomas placed fourth. Ray Wearmouth said he was happy with his performance in the race, pointing out that the group played into Thomas’ hand, knowing that he was the better sprinter and would outsprint them in the end. Unlike Thomas, Wearmouth is not looking to any competition but is happy to be riding for fitness with no bigger ambitions.

Mark Smith was still recovering from a dislocated rib a few weeks ago and said he has not been training as hard as he should. Smith pointed out that he tried to wear down Thomas a bit, but it did not work. He also has his eyes set on the Caribbean championships in October. Gareth Thomas(no relation) had a very good 2007 season and became known on the cycling circuit for being one of the most promising cyclists, put in a great performance. Gareth said the race was very good and he too is looking forward to participating in the Caribbean championship.

Peter LeBlanc came in fifth in a time of 1 hour 35 minutes 18 seconds, Keble McDonald in sixth in 1 hour 36 minutes 34 seconds and seventh was David Thomas.

There they good...the start of the NLSCC cycling season. Photo by Carmelita Jamieson.

In the female category of the Elite division, Sally Blackmore who recently moved into the Elite category claimed the victory in a time of 1 hour 35 minutes 19 seconds over Patlian Johnson. Missing from the Elite women was Lisa Adamson who did not race due to other commitments.
Meanwhile, In the Social category, four male cyclist took part with Deane Fonseca, winning the category in a time of 1 hour 7 minutes 20 seconds, followed by Clifton “Tito” Forbes, in 1 hour 11 minutes 55 seconds, Rick Connell in 1 hour 12 minutes 14 seconds and Rusty Burns in 1 hour 12 minutes 53 seconds.

The event attracted 13 riders in the two divisions and took off from the Highway in front of the Immigration and Labour Deptpartment, proceeded to Port Purcell roundabout and back to Bobby’s roundabout for a total of 15 laps for the Elite riders and 10 laps for the Social. President of NLSCC President Maria Vieira said even though she had anticipated a better participation, she is excited to start the 2008 cycling season since “there is going to be much more action this year as the riders are not playing around”.

With a “Junior and Youth Fun Day race” planned for August, Vieira said she would like to see more young people riding;
The president also outlined that the Club has planned 12 races for the season including the biggest event to date, the annual Mother’s day race in May. The Club recently held a cycling workshop on February 24 to highlight basic form, fix a flat, what to carry while out riding and how to fix simple bike problems and is planning to hold more workshops during the year. She also thanked AMS Group for sponsoring the race, the Red Cross, BVICF, the volunteers and cyclists and the motorists who were at most times courteous to the cyclists.

The next race slated on the calendar is the “Last Stop Sports Time Trial” on April 6 at Port Purcell.

© Copyright 2003 BVI Cycling Federation

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