Cycling on the Avenue sprints off on October 9, schools' duathlon to feature

Cyclists from across the globe return to Ariapita Avenue in Woodbrook on October 9 for the tenth staging of Cycling on the Avenue.

This year’s event features three main races and a schools’ duathlon for children under eight years old, up to Secondary school level.

Event organiser Michael Phillips was pleased to once again feature the duathlon event, which runs and cycles off just before the three main cycling events.

The duathlon begins from 7.05 pm and will see six age categories contested – boys’ and girls’ 8-and-Under, nine to ten and 11 plus for Primary school students.

From 7.50 pm, the Secondary school segment gets under way with the 13-and-Under, 14-15 and 16 plus age groups.

The three main cycling events are a two-lap international sprint invitational, 15-lap division two race and a 30-lap contest for division one riders. The final race includes premiums, lap prizes and other incentives for contestants.

The field is expected to be a highly competitive one since the majority of cyclists from the October 2-7 Tour of Tobago will travel to Trinidad for a final taste of competitive road cycling in Woodbrook.

TT Triathlon Federation (TTTF) vice-president Douglas D’Abadie was pleased to have multiport at Cycling on the Avenue once more, and credited event organiser and former TT cyclist Michael Phillips for including them since 2018.

“We all know how difficult it is to get funding and financing to put on these things, it’s a huge challenge,” he said.

“Both our sport requires use of the road. We have to have road closures which include use of the police and these things are very expensive. Mike’s (Phillips) idea some years ago was to have an additional event take place while that structure was already in place (road closure).

“It was a great idea...It’s very challenging to put events on because of the prohibitive cost and lack of funding that we get.”

Phillps was also happy to host the multisport event once more and believes it serves as a stepping stone for young triathletes who need to familiarise themselves with competition.

“Many people look forward to that (duathlon) and we wanted to create an opportunity for the kids involved in multiport to have a really large audience to perform in front of.

“We think the big and bright lights is another component especially for those going on to Carifta Games for them to have a big day under their belt, so that it’s easier for them to manage race day jitters,” Phillip said.

Additionally, Jeffrey Charles, Tour of Tobago chairman, also showed his support for Cycling on the Avenue by partnering with Phillips (Mike’s Bikes) for this year’s edition. (With reporting by Jelani Beckles).