As a seasoned triathlon campaigner, Llori Sharpe always had a background in cycling.

It might not have been her strongest suit when compared to swimming and track, but since the arrival of the novel coronavirus pandemic there has been a significant momentum shift.

“Since last year, I’ve solely committed to cycling. Given the implications of the pandemic such as the closure of pools for a good portion of last year, triathlon training was severely hindered.

“Luckily, cycling was a constant-whether my workouts were out on the road or indoors on my smart trainer. So I would say that since I was cycling so much and I was seeing significant improvements, the switch was pretty easy to make,” Sharpe told the Jamaica Observer.

That switch has so far proved most rewarding, as Sharpe seems well on her way to representing the island at the Junior Pan American Games in Cali, Colombia, in November.

Sharpe was the lone female on Jamaica’s 12-member team to the recently concluded Elite Pan American (PanAm) and Caribbean Road Championships.

And, like a flower in full bloom, the 20-year-old stood out among her male counterparts after competition in the Dominican Republic.

Racing on the first day of action, Sharpe finished fifth in a field of 60 competitors, and though she missed the podium on that occasion she was well within the top seven who would qualify for the Cali Games.

But, if that wasn’t enough, Sharpe returned the following day for time trials, where she placed third in the Under-23 category in 34 minutes and 22 seconds to all but confirm her position. Cuba’s Aylena Quevedo Alvarez (31:50) and Flor Espiritusanto Estevez (33:41) were the top two finishers.

“Overall, the competition was really great. This was my first non-local race for quite some time, so I was extremely excited to compete alongside the region’s best. I definitely wouldn’t say that the competition was easy, but with the major improvements I’ve made in cycling I was more than able to keep up and do well,” Sharpe noted.

“I’m not entirely sure if it’s been fully confirmed that I qualified for the Junior Pan Am Games, but I’m keeping my hopes up. If I do qualify, it’s back to work to get fully prepared to bring my ‘A’ game,” she added.

Like she did with the triathlon where she established herself as one of the faces — if not the face — of the sport locally, having hoisted the country’s flag at several regional and international events, Sharpe seems poised to do the same in cycling.

“Assuming that I qualified, I’ll be working with my coach [Adrian Clarke] to get in tip-top shape. So that will just include a lot of hours in the saddle, as well as some strength and conditioning, so I can get stronger and more efficient,” the St Andrew High School for Girls alumna shared.

Sharpe’s achievements in triathlon, the multiple-stage sport which involves the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance disciplines, includes placing 22nd in elite women’s action at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

Her prospects for greater achievements in cycling seem very imminent.

“Well, as with any athlete, my aim is to do my absolute best when competing at any event. And with cycling in particular, the better I place in events, the more points I accumulate — which contributes to my ranking.

“So with that, when I compete, I race with the intention of being one of the top finishers,” said Sharpe, who is currently studying sport sciences at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill campus.

Meanwhile, her coach Adrian Clarke believes the performances of Sharpe and the others against more illustrious competitors speak volumes of the progress that Jamaica has made over the years.

It was the country’s first time having three teams venture overseas for an event.

“I am very pleased with the performances of all the cyclists, they exceeded my expectations. Llori Sharpe received a bronze medal and as a result of that bronze medal she qualified for the PanAm Youth Games,” Clarke explained.

“Overall, the teams did well and when we look at what they did, they matched up well with the South Americans. These guys have professional contracts with bike sponsorship and lots of resources, much more than what we have in Jamaica.

“What this means is that we are back at the drawing board, doubling our efforts, because we have a structured programme going and, based on what we saw in Dominican Republic, we see that we are right on par with the other countries,” he added.