The best of local cycling is about to get back on track.
Thirteen months after last taking centre stage at Waterford, cycling will be looking to make its grand return to the Randolph Field Velodrome tomorrow night for the start of this season’s track league.
It’s set to be the first major track event held in Barbados since last year’s National Track Championships due to the near year-long refurbishment of the National Stadium.
It will also mark the long-awaited return of rising talent Javed Mounter, who announced his star potential at those championships by sweeping the sprint, kilo and keirin titles with utmost ease.
But the national 200 metres record holder is just one of a handful of young, gifted riders looking to give the rest of Barbados a timely reminder of their talents.
After missing most of last year due to overseas assignments, Darren Matthews, who held the national individual pursuit record before the age of 22, will also be expected to make a major impression on the opening night.
The only Bajan to win a medal at a regional endurance event, Matthews should be at home tomorrow night as the seniors division contests the 4 000 metres along with an open team sprint and the Devil-Take-The-Hind-Most event.
Brothers Jesse, Joshua and Jacob – multiple winners at last year’s championships – should also feature in the senior, junior and juvenile categories, respectively, having benefited from a training stint in South Africa while preparing to face competition that has suffered from a lengthy layoff.
Impressive young talent Liam Lovell will also be one to watch in that juvenile category, while Tremaine Forde-Catwell and Ajani Miller look to renew their rivalry from last year’s series.
“It’s excellent that we’re getting back on to the track because what’s been happening is that our young riders have not been able to show off their skills,” said Barbados Cycling Union president Keith Yearwood.
“I’ve been up at the track now a couple times since it has been reopened and I have seen the riders training trying their best to get back in form and licking their chops at this opportunity.
“Other than that, though, we really needed to get back to the track because I still think this is the way to go for us as we have made our inroads on the track wherever we went. And we need to get back and show our prowess across the Caribbean,” he added.
The BMX riders, aged seven to 12, are slated to open the programme with the 500 metres at 5:30 p.m. before the night kicks into full gear with the open team sprints for the seniors, masters, juniors, juveniles and tiny mites.
There will also be 1 000, 3 000 and 4 000 metres races for those older categories prior to an open 15 000 metres event that will cap the proceedings.
The series continues next week and will run every Wednesday until November’s National Track Championships.