Local road races are beginning to have an international feel to them.
Colombia’s former World Junior champion Jaime Ramirez is the latest non-national to capture a cycling event this season, winning Sunday’s circuit race on the gruelling Warrens course by almost an entire lap ahead of a star-studded local field.
It was the second time in as many road races that an international cyclist crossed the line first, following Anguillan Claude Richardson’s debut victory that snapped Simon Clarke’s three-race winning streak.
However, Clarke wasn’t present to avenge the defeat since his right wrist was injured and he was forced to sit out the event.
But it’s not certain what difference Clarke’s presence would have made to the outcome following Ramirez’s torrent ride that saw the Colombian dominate the hill and actually lap the entire field at one stage.
This was after he, Jamol Eastmond and talented junior Russell Elcock threatened to break away from the peloton just one lap into the 15-lap race.
Ramirez’s G4S Swift clubmate Darren Matthews quickly led a chase group to haul them back, before he too tried to go on two separate breaks – the last of which was going up the hill towards the Automotive Art start line.
However, Ramirez reeled him in with just three laps remaining before turning on the jets to lap everyone on a blistering penultimate lap.
Eastmond (Team Aspire) was second and Matthews finished third.
Riding under the AMOND Fugen banner, Elcock was the lone junior to complete the 15-lap course, continuing his near two-year unbeaten streak in that division.
His veteran teammate Esther Rosemond-Miller also finished the race as the lone competitor in her category, taking another women’s crown for a sixth win in seven starts.
A-Class Battery Golden Wheelers clubmates Romario Thomas and Edwin Sutherlands finished 1-2, respectively in the Juvenile division, while their senior counterpart, Reginal Jones, upended Sedwin Jones and Gregory Austin for the Masters’ title.
