The 2011 national cycling season, which ended on Sunday, has been hailed a success by president of the Antigua & Barbuda Amateur Cycling Association, Cliff Williams, who measured the success with the fact that there had been no cancelation of races throughout the sport’s calendar year.
During an interview with OBSERVER Sports on Tuesday, Williams said that even without taking into consideration that the association had hosted the successful OECS Cycling Championships earlier this year, it was smooth sailing all the way.
“We managed to execute at least 14 of our local regular races, (and) that does not include the 2011 OECS Cycling Championships that actually came off in a big way, and other individuals and clubs that put on other races. For example, the Race Watchers Group hosted the last event for the season which was the racing in the city. So with all that, I would say that this year was a really successful year for cycling in Antigua,” he said.
Williams added that the success of the season would not have been possible without the assistance of some key stakeholders who made it possible for the athletes to feel safe on the roadways.
“I have to tip my hat off to the Royal Police Force of Antigua & Barbuda. They have been cooperating with us for many years now and have had no glitch in working with them,” the cycling head said.
“Public Works also came on board and helped us in a big way and they are always happy to work with us. So we are really happy to have them on board and quite a few companies that manage to, year in and year out, assist us sponsor-wise like Frank B Armstrong, Lucozade, Top Ranking, Billy’s Food Mart, are some of the companies we can depend on year in, year out.”
The cycling association, however, has eyes set on preparing to host the 2012 Caribbean Championships and assisting elite riders in qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics.
“Our main focus from hereafter is the hosting of the 2012 Caribbean Cycling Championships. It’s a real major event because to put up 23 to 25 Caribbean countries with a minimum of three to five riders is a major undertaking; so a lot of our focus will be on that next year,” Williams said.
“The other area is the focus on getting out athletes to the major games such as the Olympics coming up (2012), where we hope that our young riders like Jyme Bridges and Tamiko Butler get an opportunity to participate in London for the Olympics,” he added.
Despite the season having come to an end, Williams revealed that a level II coaching course is currently underway for cycling coaches and cyclists alike.
(Source http://www.antiguaobserver.com/?p=67708)
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