Thirty-six cyclists tested their luck in the Pot ‘O Gold Road Race on Sunday, held along St. Croix’s Southside Road. The event, organized by the Virgin Islands Cycling Federation, featured a fairly flat 7-mile lap course starting and finishing at the Ha’ Penny Beach entrance gates.
In the Elite category, six cyclists rode together for the initial three laps of their 49-mile race. Stephen Swanton and Alex Betancourt surged ahead on the fourth lap, creating an 8-second gap. Robin Seila, the lone female Elite cyclist, displayed remarkable endurance throughout the race but fell behind on lap 5. David Morales made a strong push on lap 5 but couldn’t maintain pace with the leaders. The ultimate showdown occurred on the final lap, with Swanton narrowly clinching first place in 2:22:15, followed closely by Betancourt in 2:22:16, and Morales securing third in 2:23:19.
In the Expert category, the largest group, riders set off together for their 35-mile race. However, the race concluded prematurely on the final lap when a cyclist encountered a pothole, resulting in a neutralized finish with no declared winner.
The Sport category witnessed a split into two groups by the second lap of their 3-lap race. Herbert Mathurin, Joseph Thomas, Brian Otis and Chris Dorsey broke away from the pack to claim the top four spots in that order.
Yves Abraham, in his first race of the 2024 season, led the Masters group from start to finish in the 21-mile race. Brian O’Reilly caught up with Abraham on the final lap, securing second place ahead of Nelson Rojas.
Among the female cyclists covering 21 miles, Laverne Fredericksen demonstrated superior experience, crossing the finish line three minutes ahead of Enid Francis. Jody Goodrich claimed the third spot.
In the Junior division’s 14-mile race, 12-year-old Xander Morales dominated, completing two laps in 52:59. Kolebert Daisley and Randy Williams secured second and third place, respectively.
The next event on the Virgin Islands Cycling Federation schedule is the Pt. Udall Time Trial Challenge on March 31. For further details on cycling in the Virgin Islands, call 643-5050.
