JE­LANI BECK­LES

Top lo­cal and in­ter­na­tion­al cy­clists will fea­ture in 18 races at the Michael Phillips Re­pub­lic Day Cy­cling Clas­sic to­mor­row around the Nel­son Man­dela Park (for­mer­ly King George V Park), Port-of-Spain, from 2 pm.

Head­ing the lo­cal con­tin­gent are en­durance rid­ers Varun Ma­hara­jh and Jov­ian Gomez. The pair re­cent­ly re­turned from the Elite Pan Amer­i­can Track Cy­cling Cham­pi­onships in Mex­i­co and will be among the favourites. On Sun­day Ma­hara­jh won the elite open/in­vi­ta­tion­al cat­e­go­ry of the Keep Fit Cri­teri­um on the Diego Mar­tin High­way. Gomez will be hop­ing for a medal this time around af­ter fin­ish­ing fourth on Sun­day.

A pair of T&T sib­lings are al­so ex­pect­ed to line up to­mor­row. Adam and Joshua Alexan­der will face the starter, while Jude and Marc Co­dring­ton will aim to get on the podi­um.

The main event will close the day's pro­ceed­ings at 4.35 pm with a 30-lap event. The first prize in the main event is $1600 and a tro­phy, while the sec­ond and third place fin­ish­ers will walk away with $800 and $450 re­spec­tive­ly. Pri­or to the main event, rid­ers will bat­tle in cat­e­gories such as the ladies se­nior, ladies ju­nior, tinymites, ju­ve­niles and Vet­er­ans 60 and over.

There will al­so be races in mem­o­ry of the late Roger Smart and Clin­ton Grant, who both served T&T cy­cling for many years.

At a me­dia con­fer­ence yes­ter­day at Flair restau­rant, Ari­api­ta Av­enue, Port-of-Spain, for­mer na­tion­al cy­clist Michael Phillips and event co­or­di­na­tor, re­flect­ed on his jour­ney over the years as a cy­cling pro­mot­er. Phillips start­ed his com­pa­ny Phillip Pro­mo­tions in his grand­moth­er's home and is now one of the lead­ing pro­mot­ers of cy­cling in the coun­try. "When I de­cid­ed to take this up (pro­mot­ing cy­cling), peo­ple told me I was wast­ing my time, I said it was a chal­lenge I want­ed to take." Phillips al­so owns a bike store called Mike's Bikes, op­po­site Flair Restau­rant.

For­mer na­tion­al cy­clist Roger Gib­bon and for­mer pres­i­dent of the T&T Olympic Com­mit­tee Lar­ry Ro­many laud­ed Phillips for his ef­forts in pro­mot­ing cy­cling for the past 18 years. Gib­bon said: "Com­pe­ti­tion is crit­i­cal to the de­vel­op­ment of the ath­lete. Sport needs some­one like Michael Phillips." Gib­bon told Phillips there would be ob­sta­cles along the way but not to give up on pro­mot­ing the sport.