IT TOOK a flat tyre, a faulty bike and an Antiguan to end Jamol Eastmond’s unbeaten streak.
And even those he almost overcame.
Twenty-two-year-old Jyme Bridges, Antigua’s national road race champion, ended Eastmond’s fairytale, unbeaten start to the 2012 season by capturing the Barbados Cycling Union’s (BCU) two-hour criterium on the St Lucy Church circuit yesterday.
In a race that was only decided in the final 50 metres in a sprint to the finish, Eastmond’s defective back wheel locked up just as he looked set to make it four wins out of four, allowing both Bridges and arch-rival Russell Elcock to cross the line ahead of him.
“I am very, very disappointed not to have extended my unbeaten run,” a visibly frustrated Eastmond told NATIONSPORT.
“It was a tough day.
I had a flat tyre on the last lap, and then I had a bike-and-a-half lead coming into the final stretch. It should have been a comfortable win for me, but it just wasn’t meant to be.
“I’ll be back for the next race,” he said assuredly.
It was the fitting end to an ambitious day for Bridges, who was actually on the island in transit to Trinidad when he learnt of the race.
He too had to overcome an obstacle of his own, after having a hard fall on the penultimate lap, which forced him to play “catch up” in the closing stages.
“This is my first race here for the year, so I just used the first lap to get familiarized with the course,” he said.
“After that I tried some small dashes to see what the guys were made of, and I found out that there were just a few who were really good on the hills.
“I got mixed up in one of those corners that were really slippery, but I didn’t really notice it was that bad.
“It meant that I had to do a little work to catch back, but I fought back, and rode myself back into the race and took the sprint,” Bridges outlined.
Ajani Miller continued his dominance of the tiny mites division, following up his victory in the Six Roads one-hour criterium with a similarly commanding win, relegating arch-rival Jacob Kelly to second position.
Stuart Maloney won the Masters (age 35-49) division, ahead of Gregory Austin and Andrew Quimby.
There were also wins for John Proverbs, in the 50-and-over category, and Rohan Holder, in the novice category.
Results
Seniors
1st – Jyme Bridges
2nd – Russell Elcock (AMOND Fugen)
3rd – Jamol Eastmond (Rockets Club)
Masters – 35-49
1st – Stuart Maloney (Independent)
2nd – Gregory Austin (Independent)
3rd – Andrew Quimby (Rockets Club)
Masters – 50 and over
1st – John Proverbs (Velo Caribe)
2nd – Ronald Harding (AMOND Fugen)
Ladies
1st – Esther Miller-Rosemond
(AMOND Fugen)
Tiny Mites
1st – Ajani Miller (AMOND Fugen)
2nd – Jacob Kelly (G4S Team Swift)
3rd – Vernon James (A Class Battery Golden Wheelers)
Juveniles
1st – Edwin Sutherland (A Class Battery Golden Wheelers)
2nd – Joshua Kelly (G4S Team Swift)
Juniors
1st – Jesse Kelly (G4S Team Swift)
