Mike's Bikes teenager Peter Sellier will be aiming for a hat-trick of mountain bike titles this season when the Mike's Bikes Mountain Bike Revolution Six pedals off at 'The Mangoes', near Samaan Park in Chaguaramas, from 8 am on Sunday.
Sellier, 16, leads the T&T Cycling Federation Mountain Bike League standings with 14 points after winning the River Raid and Rincon Race earlier this year. Other division one riders expected to compete are Ryan Chin (Breakaway), Ryan Mendes (Slipstream), David Hackshaw (Slipstream) and Christopher Govia (Breakaway).
Sellier was expecting some stiff competition at the event's media conference yesterday at Mike's Bikes, Ariapita Avenue, Port-of-Spain. "I expect to get a really good challenge for this race because the last race in Rincon was really difficult. Guys like Ryan Chin, Christopher Govia and David Hackshaw have been getting closer to me, so I am expecting a good race." Dimitri Commissiong-Payne (Unattached), 14, is the top contender in the open two division, while Maria Gooding and Kiyomi Rankine both of Rainbow Warriors are set to square off in the ladies division.
The youth development Under-13 riders will begin the day's action at 8 am, while the other cyclists will start racing from 8.30 am. The open one riders will attempt five laps of the 4.7km course which includes some hilly terrain.
The open two cyclists which includes the masters 40+ age group, masters 50+, ladies, 19-39, juniors 17-18, juveniles 15-16 and tinymites 13-14 will attempt two laps.
The fun riders will pedal one lap, while the youth development riders will ride on a shorter course. Registration, which closes at noon on Saturday, takes place at Mike's Bikes and online at the Mike's Bikes facebook page. The registration for youth development riders is $20, while everyone else must pay $100.
Late registration will be accommodated between 6.30 am and 7.30 am on race day with an additional fee of $40. Reigistration is towards trail maintenance. Michael Phillips of Mike's Bikes and Phillips Promotions said all races helps the growth of the sport. "This is to help continue the development and growth of mountain biking in T&T. We are happy that over the last few years Phillips Promotions and Mike's Bikes has really got into promoting mountain biking. Since then the governing body for cycling the T&T Cycling Federation, has looked at mountain biking as an important part of the overall growth of cycling."
TTCF president eyes Championships
TTCF president Robert Farrier has confirmed that T&T will be represented at the first Caribbean Mountain Bike Championships in Puerto Rico in September. Speaking at the Revolution launch Farrier said, "When I got into office I looked at some of the opportunities to expand the sport and definitely mountain biking is one of the areas to spread the sport of cycling." The inaugural Caribbean Mountain Bike Championships will be held in Puerto Rico on September 26 and 27 and Farrier said T&T will be represented.
"T&T will be represented at that competition. We have the opportunity to send two juniors, two male elite athletes and two female elite athletes. We would definitely be sending a national cycling team to the Caribbean Mountain Bike Championships in Puerto Rico this year."