Anguillan cops Jamaica International Cycling Classic
MONTEGO BAY, St James — Anguillan Hasani Hennis copped the top spot at the end of Stage Three of the three-day Jamaica International Cycling Classic on Sunday afternoon.
Hennis, whose 50 points were enough to power him into the winner’s enclosure ahead of 60 riders, donned the traditional yellow race leader jersey on Friday and Saturday, consecutively. He was among the top 10 finishers on the final day, following a race that exceeded 50 miles, from Whitter Village in Ironshore, St James to Duncans in Trelawny, and back.
Hennis, who amassed 48 points, completed the three-day series ahead of Trinidad and Tobago’s Akil Campbell in second, and third-placed Briton John of Guyana.
The Trinidadian took Stage Three, followed by Jerome Forrest, and Andrew Ramsay, however, his win was not enough to move him past Hennis in the point standings.
Riding under the AVR Racing Club banner, the Miami Blazers cyclist congratulated his team for supporting him while he executed his race strategy over the three-day event.
“After winning on the first day, I knew that I had to defend it on the second day, despite the pressure from other riders. Day three was for me to continue my defence and then allow my other team members to move ahead and take up the top three positions,” the Anguillan explained.
In the Master’s category for Stage Three, Jerome Ameline from Cayman came out on top of Horace Burrows and Lynn Murray from Guyana.
Sherena Gray, Aura Lagnado, and Natalie Rapago, took top honours in the Women’s category, respectively.
Elon Parkinson, head of Communications and Corporate Affairs at Digicel, a major sponsor of the race, was delighted with the successful second staging of the event.
“With 100 per cent more participation this time around, we are extremely proud of how quickly this event has grown in only two years. From very early we saw the potential to grow the sport to the point where it gains the international recognition that it deserves, and we are very hopeful that this staging will be pivotal to achieving this objective. Kudos to Carlton Simmonds and his dedicated team of organisers from Jamaica and the region who have again pulled off another magnificent staging,” Parkinson said.
Simmonds, the chief organiser of the Jamaica International Cycling Classic, also expressed his satisfaction.
“I am pleased with the performances and the representation from across the Caribbean and North America. I am very happy for that, along with the support and commitment of our sponsors who have stayed with us,” Simmonds said.