Sunday, September 24 2006

THE stage is set for the fourth edition of the Newsday Cycle Classic Fun Run at King George V Park and the start of a rivalry with the Tobago International Cycle Classic is expected.

Among the competitors will be road race king Emile Abraham who completed a credible second place finish last week in the sister isle.

But the Tobago-born Abraham will have a tough challenge when he comes up against his Angostura/ Toshiba teammate Bruno Langlois today in the feature 30-lap circuit grind.

The race pedals off at 1.30 pm and will be followed by the Newsday 5k Fun, Run and Walking race. Participants will be required to pay an entrance fee of $30 while company teams of ten persons will cost $200. The race is an ongoing venture by Newsday to assist the nation’s street children.

All proceeds of the race will go towards the “Save the Street Children Fund” — a gesture Newsday started, and is asking corporate Trinidad and Tobago to join in the fight to save the street children. Among the cyclists in today’s ride is another Canadian Phillip Cortes who made his debut on local soil at the Tobago classic, and will be hoping for a better finish this time around. He finished third overall then in a time of 13 hours 36 minutes and 52.6 seconds, eight minutes behind Langlois.

Langlois who finished the fifth and final stage of the race in third position, recorded an overall winning time of 13 hours, 28 minutes and nine seconds. Abraham had a 13 hours, 33 minutes and 16 seconds finish after winning the final stage, dubbed the Palatuvier Stage.

Another big threat to the “big guns” will be local boy Guy Costa who produced a series of good rides to be fourth overall in Tobago.

The day’s event which for years produce a gathering of families, will also see a quick one-lap sprint for international cyclists.

This will be followed by other cycling events for juniors and BMX races, and races for veterans and other categories.