Rodman wins main event on the Avenue

Team PSL continued their dominance of cycling in Trinidad and Tobago over the past week, as Jamaican Marloe Rodman captured the 35-lap main event at the Beacon Cycling on the Avenue which started and ended at Mike's Bikes on Ariapita Avenue in Woodbrook, on Wednesday night.

Rodman's win ended a week of success for Team PSL as the cycling club won the two major events in Tobago recently. At the four-stage Tobago International Cycling Classic (TICC) Peter Schulting of Netherlands/PSL won the overall title and the UCI Tour of Tobago. The club also became the first team to win both the TICC and the Tour of Tobago in consecutive years.

After his win in the 1.4km circuit Rodman was proud of the effort by Team PSL saying, "We are really proud tonight that we could have taken it because we have been trying for the last three years and we did a good job tonight. We can't be more happy (about the past week) because we set a new record in Tobago and also we did it here because we took everything."

In the main event, Schulting opened a huge lead over the rest of the field after 14 laps and also helped himself to a number of lap prizes.

At the halfway stage, Schulting's lead dwindled to a five-second lead and then with 10 laps remaining his teammates joined him at the front of the peloton.

Team PSL maintained their advantage of the race, but German Robert Muller of Team Embrace the World did snatch the people's preme of over $3000 with less than five laps remaining. Four PSL riders were in front with two laps to go, but it was still anybody's race. In a sprint for the finish Rodman comfortably held off the challenge of Lucas Carstensen of Germany/Embrace the World. Luis Diaz of Venezuela/Braves was third, Tobagonian Emile Abraham of Team Pharmaco was fourth and Luis Rivera of Argentina/Econo Car rounded off the top five.

Rodman, who thanked his team for an excellent race, said his strategy was to stay close to the front to give himself a chance of winning the title.

Rodman said, "All I was doing was just conserving as much as possible, I went for one of the premes to see how my legs felt and I felt good. I sat back for the last six, seven laps to go. I tried for a next preme, but I did not get it so I just sat in for the last lap and I pulled it off with a great lead off from my teammates."