Kurt and Kirk Maraj with Winston Williams of Excellers.
A mere 20 of the 75 riders who started the men’s road race at the Caribbean Cycling Elite Championship were able to finish the 136.3km course at the Complejo Deportivo de Penuelas in Puerto Rico this past weekend.
Martinique’s Cedric Eustache won in 3:26:15, just ahead of Trinidad & Tobabo’s Emile Abraham. But the tropical weather systems that have been affecting the region over the past week claimed the bulk of the field, with heavy rains and water across the roads forcing organisers to withdraw the majority of the riders.
In fact, the 20 who finished represented just half of the 18 territories that entered, with a mere seven riders from English-speaking nations completing the Sunday race – two each from Trinidad & Tobago, Antigua-Barbuda and Guyana, and one from Jamaica.
Among the 55 riders who were pulled out were four Saint Lucians – Kurt Maraj, Kirk Maraj, Winston Williams and Sydney Charles, the latter travelling from New York.
The team was managed by Cyril Mangal, assisted by Leslie Serieux and Andre Charles who also attended a commissaires (cycling refereee) course in Puerto Rico.
The Saint Lucia team did not take part in the Time Trial on Saturday. At the time of writing, with rains continuing to affect Puerto Rico, the team is trying to find accommodation in San Juan to see out the system.