Riders from Tortola, Antigua and Nevis converged on St. Croix last weekend to take on the V.I. Mountain Bike Team in the 6th annual Caribbean Cup.
There were two events held: downhill, which ran Saturday at Goat Hill near Cramers Park, and cross country, which ran on Sunday in the Creque Dam area. John Miller from Tortola took the highest honors with victories in both the men's expert downhill and cross country. The women’s cross country race was dominated by Sue Brown from St. Croix.
The downhill event was on a rocky, 1.2 mile course running from the top of Goat Hill down to Cramer's Park.
"The course was intimidating, with sharp loose turns, rock ledges and drops," said Michael McQueston, president of the V.I. Cycling Federation.
Miller had the fastest time on the course with a run of 2 minutes 19 seconds. The second fastest run came from first-time racer Bryce Scott from St. Croix.
"At just 16, Bryce shows great promise and proved that he was able to compete with the region’s top athletes," McQueston said.
The cross country race ran on a four-mile loop in the Creque Dam/Mount Victory area. The course tested the riders abilities on steep climbs, fast descents and technical rocky sections. The expert field raced for four laps with Miller taking the victory. St. Croix's Jamie Keys placed a close second while Neil Callahan, V.I., took third.
Scott again made his presence felt, easily winning the junior’s race and taking home his second gold medal. John Harper and Jamie Bate, both from St. Croix, added two more golds to the total by winning the Masters class and Sport class respectively. Sue Brown destroyed her competition in the women’s race, lapping her competitors. Her time bettered many in the men’s race.
"In all it was a great event with the V.I. team faring exceptionally well, taking home 5 of a possible 8 gold medals," McQueston said. "We would like to thank all the volunteers and spectators that came out to help with and support the event. We couldn't do it without you. Thanks also to the Frederiksted Hotel for hosting the riders."
The next Caribbean Cup event will be on St. Maarten April 8.
For anyone interested in getting involved with cycling in the territory should call Mike McQueston and the VI Cycling Federation at 772.2343. The team is preparing for more international competition with its sights set on the Pan American Mountain Bike Championships in Puerto Rico in August.
"We are still trying to develop the sport in the territory and welcome anyone who would like to get involved with racing, riding or kids programs," McQueston said.