New times are expected when the T&T cycling team of Olympian Njisane Phillip, Keron Bramble and Zion Pulido jumps into action in the Team Sprint event of the Elite Pan American Track Cycling Championship on Friday in Lima, Peru.
Since leaving on Friday last, the team has settled nicely in Peru and was expected to have its second training session yesterday afternoon under coach Gregory Dandrade at the competition venue.
Dandrade, a former cyclist, has been working closely with Phillip, a man filled with a wealth of knowledge and experience at international tournaments.
Phillip has been talking to the young riders, most likely about what to do and what not to do at the meet, having gone through the experience of multiple Pan Am and Olympic Games over the years, and has wracked up many medals and trophies.
Dandrade said yesterday that not only are his riders ready for Friday's start of competition, but he is expecting new times from newcomer Pulido, Phillip and Bramble, all of whom are also expected to reclaim the team sprint title which was won back in 2019.
Dandrade has changed the sequence of the riders for the team sprint to achieve this goal, pushing Pulido to the first-leg position and moving Phillip to the second leg, where both riders could open up a sizeable lead for the final-leg rider, who himself is no slouch on the bike.
According to Dandrade: "Pulido is quick on the start, so I've decided to push him up to the first leg. Njisane is definitely one of the faster riders who are sure to be among the top three sprinters. I expect both to deliver new times when they hit the track. I am not sure who they will be competing against as yet, as the teams are still arriving here, but from what I've seen so far, Colombia seems to be a very strong team." All the teams are expected to touch down on Peruvian soil on Wednesday.
Apart from the team sprint on Friday, T&T's Alexi Costa and Akile Campbell will also contest the Scratch Race in their respective categories, while the pair of Phillip and Bramble will head back into action in the individual sprints on Saturday.
Phillip did not ride the individual sprint in 2019 but will be bidding for the match-sprint gold medal this time.
Qualifiers for the match-sprint event will be determined by the fastest riders in the individual sprints.