IMPRESSIVE riding from Team Guyana’s Geron Williams saw the Continental Cycle Club cyclist claim the third stage of this year’s sixth annual Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport/Ministry of Health/Guyana Cycling Federation ‘Ride for Life’ yesterday morning. Williams’ won the 35 miles (56km) in a time of 59m:54seconds, leading Eric Sankar, Paul De Nobrega, Moses Ricketts of Suriname, Darren Matthews – who like De Nobrega is representing Team Coco’s Guyana - and Rastaff O’Selmo across the finish line in that order.
The 54 starters that included two females - Naiomi Singh and Hazina Barret - were sent on their way after seeing Raynauth Jeffrey receive his yellow jersey for his second stage win the previous afternoon. Carlton Wheelers’ Jaikarran Sukhai made a solo move to the front.
He held a lead of close to 800 metres over the peloton which included the top six leaders of the event, namely Jaime Ramirez, Darren Matthews, Jeffrey, De Nobrega, O’Selmo and Ricketts, along with the eventual winner Junior Niles, Walter Grant Stuart, Ivan Dominguez and Michael Anthony amongst others.
He took the first sprint prize before the chasing peloton, which was led by Williams, connected with him as they entered Pouderoyen, where Williams picked up the second sprint prize, following which he led a five-man breakaway from the peloton.
That quintet of Williams, O’Selmo, Darren Matthews, Ricketts and Eric Sankar held a lead of 150 metres over the peloton from the Vreed-en-Hoop junction to Haarlem, where they were caught by the peloton and, shortly after, former national cyclist Paul Choo-Wee-Nam made his solo move to the front.
His gap over the pack was a small one, as they hunted him down in similar fashion to a pack of wolves scenting a kill and even though he was joined by Ricketts and Darren Matthews at Blankenburg, their lead was minimal that was confirmed by a spirited-looking Enzo Matthews of Team Guyana.
Having suffered a mechanical failure to his bike during the second stage the previous afternoon, Matthews showed that he had fight and determination by holding a 250- metre lead over his competitors, when he rode to the front as they passed Leonora.
Even though he was caught as they entered Tuschen, Enzo Matthews who had suffered a shock defeat to Ian ‘Dumb Boy’ Jackson in the fourth stage of the inaugural race back in 2007, disconnected himself from the peloton as they approached Vergenoegen.
He picked up three of the remaining five sprint prizes, with Williams and Darren Matthews sharing the other two, before they turned for the final 200-metre sprint to the finish line, where after he led out the sprint, pulled to one side to hand Williams the lead and subsequently the win.
As they head into this morning’s fourth stage in the Cinderella County of Essequibo and one that will see the riders cover a distance of 62 miles as they journey from Supenaam to Charity and back to Suddie for the finish, there have been slight changes in the top six positions.
At the start of the third stage, Team Coco’s Jaime Ramirez was leading his teammate Darren Matthews by one second, but with his fifth place finish yesterday morning, Darren Matthews has taken over the leader board.
Also moving up on the leader board in the top six positions is Ricketts who is riding out of Suriname and who exchanged places with O’Selmo, moving into fifth, while O’Selmo who is representing Team Guyana, is in sixth position.
Unofficially, the top six positions with their timings in brackets so far are as follows:  Darren Matthews (4h.41m:26secs), Ramirez (4h.41m:27secs), Jeffrey (4h.52m:48secs), De Nobrega (4h.54m:09secs), Ricketts (4h.54m:15secs) and O’Selmo (4h.54m:16secs).