Road Sprint added to Tobago Cycling Classic

The organisers of the 31st Tobago International Cycling Classic (TICC) have included the Fast and Furious Road Sprint event to this year’s already exciting schedule of events which gets underway tomorrow in the sister isle.

The Road Sprint is open to all riders.

The qualifying round will be held during stage three of the Cycling Classic at Shelbourne Street, Plymouth on Friday from 2.30pm with the finals during stage four at Market Square, Wilson Road, Scarborough on Saturday from 9am. Australian Tyler Spurrell won last year’s title ahead of his PSL team-mate Jamaican Marloe Rodman. TT’s Adam Alexander was the top local finisher, taking fourth place.

The 2017 edition of the TICC rides off tomorrow with the opening ceremony at 9am and the first leg of the four-stage race at 1.30pm. Over 200 cyclists from Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, United States of America, Canada, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago will compete in five days of cycling in the four-stage race, Road Sprint, Mountain Bike and the UCI 1.2 Tour of Tobago.

Overall stage winner Dutchman Arno Van Der Zwet of team PSL is already in Tobago and he is seeking to win a second straight crown. Fellow Dutch rider and PSL teammate Nick Stopler was second in 2016 and will aiming to upset his compatriot. Rodman, the 2015 victor, is also confirmed for this year. Multiple champion and hometown hero Emile Abraham (Team Pharmaco) will be aiming for the top spot. Abraham is back after missing last year’s edition.

Two-time Olympian Njisane Phillip and former Caribbean junior champions Tyler Cole and siblings Akil and Teniel Campbell along with Varun Maharaj, all of PSL’s Caribbean team as well at Team Riders (formerly Team Foundation) brothers Adam and Joshua Alexander will also lead the local charge. Barbadian Jamol Eastmond (Team Heatwave) fine-tuned his preparation by winning the Republic Day Classic in Diego Martin on Sunday.

Ten teams (PSL, Pharmaco, Raiders, Heatwave, Embrace The World, RC Schwalbe, Econo, PSL-Jet Blue, Veloclub Ratisbona, St Vincent and the Grenadines) have registered for the Elite (Division One) category.

Organisers have thanked their Gold Sponsors including National Lotteries Control Board, Tobago House of Assembly and Ministry of Sport.

Key Sponsors include Caribbean Bottlers, bmobile, Econo Car Rentals, British Airways, Crown Point Beach Hotel, Johnston Apartments, Caribbean Airlines, Kiss Baking, Holiday Snacks, Agostini Insurance and El Pecos.