Showdown looms in Dew Cycling Classics

It comes down to the final race to determine which elite rider will win the Dew Cycling Classics series, after back-to-back wins give Steven Abbott the slight edge with one race to go.

Abbott was quickest to line of 36 cyclists in the 10-Mile Time Trial on 21 May. He completed the course from the Haig Bodden Playing Field in Bodden Town to just past the Frank Sound Junction and back in 23 minutes 15.825 seconds.

“[It was] brutal really. It was really, really tough,” he told CaymanSportsBuzz.com after the race. “The conditions weren’t bad out there but the heat was something. Today was about pacing yourself from beginning to end. There wasn’t really any big tail wind or anything like that.”

The second fastest to complete the course was James Smith, who competed in category 2. He finished the loop in 23:16.380. Pedro Ramos was third overall in 23:27.822.

Abbott came in trailing Michael Testori for series lead among category one riders, with each winning a race the previous two weeks. After the race, they both sit on 25 points atop the series standings but Abbott holds the tie-breaker due to his second win.

“It makes it quite interesting because Pedro [Ramos] is right up there with us as well. It’s going to make that last race really exciting because there’s a lot on the line,” Abbott said.

Ramos is three points back and is very much in contention. Meantime, Testori reflected on his race, which saw him finish 11^th fastest overall in 24:15.631.

“I think I started too strong, then I blew up in the second quarter and I just tried to survive the second half. I’m not exactly known for my time trials, I’m more of a sprinter but I gave it my all today and that’s all I could do,” he said in an interview with CaymanSportsBuzz.com.

Testori is expected to turn things around for the next event, a circuit race on Sunday, 28 May. “It’s going to be a tough one. It’s going to be about tactics and I’ll have to ride smart next week,” he said.

Other top finishers included Cameron McWatt (Category 3), Ceasar Aparil (Category 4), James Melen (Masters), Chris Sutton (Super Masters), and Nadine Gray (Women). See results here.

Here are the points standings (top 3) going into the final race of the DEW Cycling Classics.

Category 1

Steven Abbott: 25

Michael Testori: 25

Pedro Ramos: 22

 

Category 2

DJ Evans: 25

Jamie Hughes: 20

Gareth van de Bergh: 14

James Smith: 14

 

Category 3

Cameron McWatt: 28

Yazzer Abdullah: 24

Chris Bailey: 19

 

Category 4

Jonathan Webster: 31

Cesar Aparil: 10

Piotr Sokoluk: 8

 

Masters

Michele Smith: 28

Daniel Cummings: 22

Edward Harper: 19

 

Super Masters

Chris Sutton: 25

Laurent Weber: 23

Tallis Wessels: 16

 

Women

Margott Lares: 23

Rachael Gooden: 16

Nadine Gray: 10

 

Juveniles

Josh Weaver: 33

 

As you would notice from the standings, the race is wide open in most categories. “The Dew Cycling Classics has been very exciting for riders,” said Cayman Islands Cycling Association President Craig Merren.

He said this is what the association hoped for when they decided to split the riders into various categories and he’s looking forward to the showdown on Sunday. “It’s going to be very, very exciting because we’re going to have some sprints at selected times during the event as well,” he told CaymanSportsBuzz.com.

The final race of the DEW Classics Series takes place on Sunday, 28 May, on the Esteley Tibbetts Highway from near the roundabout to the Cayman Islands Yacht Club on a circuit to Batabano and back.

Related Posts

• 
  Tennis ace Oskar Bjuroe wins prestigious scholarship
• 
  Intense play as corporate squash heads into final week
• 
  A historic first for Latinos FC

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.