T&T's sprinting prodigy New cyclist Zion Pulido of Team Sonics is set to have a bigger role than he anticipated when the T&T team competes in the Elite Pan American Track Cycling Championship, from June 23-29 in Lima, Peru.
Coach Gregory Dandrade intends to use his new-found Pulido as a starter in the team sprint, with Olympian Njisane Phillip in the second leg and Keron Bramble in the third. In the past, the team has struggled particularly with a third-leg rider and this could be a welcome solution to their problem in the future.
Dandrade, in an interview yesterday said: "I am confident with the team, the team trained hard and we're ready. We have a young cyclist in Zion Pulido, a very good starter who will be an asset to the team, so I am confident we will medal. We will sort it out, it is a team that has knitted and understands each other, so we will make changes accordingly."
According to the coach: " We're looking at Pulido as the starter, Njisane and Bramble."
Olympians Nicholas Paul, Kwesi Browne and Teniel Campbell have been left out f the team to avoid the possibility of injuries ahead of the Olympic Games in July/August.
The team will leave on Friday after getting their PCR test. Dandrade said despite the COVID-19 pandemic which has been a hamper to normal preparation of the team, he will not make any excuses, saying- "The COVID is there but everybody's facing it, so we cannot make it an excuse. The Sports Company has been good to us to use the Velodrome so we can't complain."
President of the T&T Cycling Federation Rowena Williams described the team as a very strong one, in spite of the fact that the riders were not able to compete outside the country. She assured Guardian Media Sports on Wednesday that the team will medal at the Pan Am, saying the experience of Njisane and Bramble will be an asset to the team.
The T&T team last won the team sprint back in 2019 and according to Williams, they want to successfully defend that title.
T&T Cycling Team
Rigtech Sonics Cycling Club: Njisane Phillip, Keron Bramble, Zion Pulido
PSLCycling Club: Akil Campbell
Heatwave Cycling Club: Alexi Costa
Management Team: Roger Frontin-Manager, Gregory Dandrade-Coach, Kevin Tinto-Mechanic