High marks for Elevation Cycling Club, as Forrest bags another elite title

“I think they’ve taken an attitude which we really hope all clubs will take… an attitude where cycle racing is really going to put Jamaica on the map,” he said after overseeing the club’s second development race meet of the year staged in Clarendon on Sunday. 

Cycling in Jamaica continues to be classified as a minor sport but in Dr Palmer’s opinion, the ECC has “taken on the mantle” to change how the sport is viewed.

“They have decided that fly high, fly low they’re going to host races in their area,” he said, speaking to Old Harbour News exclusively. “And they have single-handedly in my opinion push the mantle of local development of cycling. I think that’s very good. I think all the other clubs can take a page out of their book.”

More than 30 riders registered for the Mineral Heights to 19-Mile circuit, including two females and two children – both boys under 12 years old.

The overall number of participants was some 30 percent less than usual but the battle among competitors were no less thrilling to watch.

Reigning national champion Jerome Forrest won the Elite Category 1, the day’s feature. Forrest claimed victory in two loops over Barenton Bailey and Donrick Fearon. O’Brian Madourie took the top podium in the Elite Category 2 ahead of Marington Hall and Mark Henry.

There were two minor upsets on the day, as Peter Robinson defeated national junior champion Jaequan Dixon for the junior category after the latter suffered a punctured tyre, while Jordanio James got the better of Melaika Russell in the female race.

However, Dixon finished ahead of Robinson in the Elite Category 3 race, but both juniors were beaten by Jason King.

Elisha Russell won the children’s category over first-time entrant Raheim.

Bailey took the Masters crown, beating Shawn Jefferies and Kirk Finnikin, while Paul Richards claimed the Super Masters with victory over Wayne Smith and Donald Hall.

And in the All Comers, Jaheim Hall had the better of Amoon Adjani

Meantime, with just over 50 semi-professional riders on its registry but hundreds more riding recreationally, Dr Palmer believes the sport is making steady progress amid growing interest.

Cycling remains the only sports outside of athletics that Jamaica has earned a medal at the Olympics.

Dr Palmer, who is in his final of a four-year election term, says given our natural athleticism the sport is still poised to repeat the same feat at future Olympics granted all the necessary support is in place at all levels.

“I think cycling is in a good place especially when you have events like this where the clubs take on the mantle of helping to develop cycling,” he added.

“On any given day in Montego Bay more than 50 riders are riding in Montego Bay alone. When you look in Kingston on a Saturday morning we have more than 50 riders riding.

“What we want to do is encourage everybody to race. When you participate it’s not only about winning, it helps to develop the sports.

“We have riders vying for the Olympics on both the track and on the road; and there are riders looking to go to the PanAm road championship which is coming up soon. So I think we are in a good place and we are developing as we go along.

“We had the first UCI sanctioned tour of Jamaica happened a few weeks ago and I think that’s a good look. We are the only new UCI sanctioned tour race in this hemisphere this year. And that’s very positive.”

The UCI is the Union Cycliste Internationale, which is the world governing body for the sport of cycling.

Despite this, cycling continues to attract primarily adults with roughly less than two percent of riders being children, meaning person below 12 years old. Among the youth, riders under 18 years of age, the cohort is below 10 per cent. This perhaps means the sport could be in its peak period in terms of active participation. However, the JCF is already looking at ways to mitigate this drop-off already on the horizon.

“We do have quite a bit of interest” among children Dr Palmer noted, but for the horrible driving culture on our roads causes parents to be “reluctant” in introducing their kids to cycling.

“What we will be looking to do in the summer is to bring those youngsters to the national stadium for development where it is a much safer environment,” he said. “There is also a Caribbean kiddies championships in Trinidad in the summer; and we’re looking to see if we can get some kids going down to that.”

ECC President Velana Creary, says the club has been able to continue its annual race series because of “dedicated partners, sponsors and donors” such as First Stop Hardware, A Wheel and Away, Pollyanna Project Inc., Henry Do All HVAC, Wheels of Oakville and Baines Total Car Care.