The wonder kid continues to marvel.
Barbados’ best cyclist Darren Matthews rode away with yet another road race on the South American continent after taking the annual Independence Three-Stage cycling meet last weekend in Guyana.
Racing for the overseas-based Team Cocos, Matthews won the opening stage and finished second in the remaining two to end the 275 kilometre event in six hours, 53.19 minutes.
Hometown boys Geron Williams (6:54.23) and Marlon Williams (6:54.30) came home second and third respectively.
Riding the 75k course from Corriverton to New Amsterdam, Matthews led the field of 96 riders by clocking 1:44.23 on Saturday but was penalised for feeding outside of the zone.
However, he still maintained a slender lead before separating himself from the Williams’ boys on the final stage following another podium finish when he placed second behind Paul De Nobrega.
“My plan was to actually try and get Darren on a break [but] it had to be me and Marlon Williams because it would have been hard to come home in a bunch with him as he is very fast,” Geron Williams said.
“He just finished a month of track training in Trinidad and that would have made him very fast, and things didn’t go as planned [for me], but he is a very strong rider because he trains in Colombia for most of the year.”
Matthews himself said it was a tough event but he was prepared for the Guyanese riders who always gave him stiff competition, having come off a three-month training stint in Colombia.
The top road racer plans to head to the United States to continue preparing for this summer’s Commonwealth Games.
Matthews wasn’t the only Barbadian making the trip to Guyana for this race, as reigning national road race champ Jamol Eastmond, current local series leader Russell Elcock, Jason Perryman and Kelly brothers Jesse and Josh all finished down the field. (JM)
