Darren Matthews is at the front of the pack again.
What else is new?
Barbados’ top cyclist is leading Tobago’s premier racing event, having taken the yellow jersey when he cruised to victory in yesterday’s Stage 2 of the four-stage Tobago International Cycling Classic at Mount Irvine Beach Facility.
Riding under the Team Cocos banner, the prodigious 21-year-old downed a high-class field that included England’s Kristian House – the winner of the touted King Of The Mountain in the 2012 Tour Of Britain – in a four-lap 100-K road race that featured very steep climbs.
This was after Matthews found himself in fourth place following Wednesday’s ten-lap circuit race that was won by Canadian Jean-Michel Lachance.
But Matthews stormed back to take yesterday’s stage, and the yellow jersey, beating runner-up Richard Handley of Britain while Colombian teammates Jaime Ramirez and Antonio Alarcon finished third and fourth respectively.
“We came out to get the yellow [jersey] today [yesterday],” said Matthews to local reporters after winning the stage.
“We’ve been training hard on the climbs and not looking forward to tomorrow [today] but focusing on today [yesterday].”
And his was just one of Barbados’ success stories as local master Stuart Maloney captured his second event in as many days to further entrench his lead in the Division Two category.
Fellow Bajan Ross Callender, riding for Team G4S Swift, was second on the day while Grenadian Sidney Walters took third.
It wasn’t all milk and honey for Barbados though, with Philip Clarke, Jamol Eastmond and Jason Perryman all bowing out of yesterday’s event before the finish. The three are currently competing for local squad Mecalfab for the championships.
The tour continues today with the 50-lap Plymouth Criterium at Shelbourne Street and ends tomorrow with a 60-lap criterium at Wilson Road.
The riders then go on to compete in Sunday’s massive 112-kilometre Tour Of Tobago – a highly touted International Cycling Union event. (JM)
