Russell Elcock is ready to go out with a bang.
Barbados’ top junior cyclist is set to make his swansong at the Junior Caribbean Cycling Championships this weekend in Puerto Rico as the headline act of a four-man contingent at the August 12 to 15 games.
Riding unbeaten in Barbados for the last two seasons, the two-time national junior road race champ will be looking to improve on his silver medal showing in last year’s time trial in Aruba.
But Elcock will also have his sights on victory in the highly competitive road race, as Team Barbados looks to avenge its ordinary showing a year ago when it failed to capture a gold medal for the first time since 2005.
In the absence of the talented Jamol Eastmond, Brandon Wilkie is expected to assist Elcock in the road race in his lone event at the four-day championships.
National juvenile road race king Kristin Vanderpool and younger brother Gregory will take their talents to the road race as the other two members of the team, which is being coached and managed by Wayne Robinson.
The senior Vanderpool is slated to contest the juvenile time trial as well.
Upcoming junior track rider Javed Mounter also left the country for a major championship after travelling to Germany on Saturday in preparation for next week’s Junior World Championships in Moscow, Russia.
The new national record holder in the match sprint and reigning Pan Am Junior’s sprint silver medallist, Mounter will make his debut appearance at the games in the keirin and match sprint.
“He is one of the most talented young riders here in Barbados but this is going to be a real eye-opener for him,” said Barbados Cycling Union public relations officer Colin Forde of Mounter.
“Over the last two months we have seen a real difference in his attitude and commitment to the sport and if he can continue in this vein then he can really go far.
“Javed has also improved in many areas because he’s a lot stronger and faster but he also must be aware that the highly rated Trinidadian Quincy Alexander didn’t do that well there his last time out,” Forde added.
Mounter is accompanied by former world rated cyclist Barry Forde, who currently has his young ward preparing in Germany before they move over to Moscow for the August 17 start to the championships.
