Oct. 8, 2007 — The recently completed regular season of the V.I. Cycling Federation had one mantra: win and you’re in. For the three men who won either a road race or individual time trial during the year, Sunday’s Winner’s Time Trial gave them the opportunity to qualify for the Caribbean Cycling Championships, to be held in Martinique at the end of the month.
Robert Bumann, John Riggs and Glenn Massiah each needed to ride four laps of the Airport Loop, 24.8 miles, in less that one hour. A daunting task indeed, as only three men in total had broken that barrier in the history of V.I. cycling. Riggs and Massiah admitted to feeling week-long pre-race jitters, after being placed in a pressure-packed cauldron that does not exist for the other 51 weeks of the year.
A light southeast breeze greeted the riders on race morning, replacing the normally truculent headwind that can dominate this course. The spectators knew they were witnessing something special when all three riders finished the first lap well under the 15:00 time they would need to average to break one hour. Bumann had a staggering 1:20 in hand, and his qualifying was already fait acompli. The other two were no less impressive, as both Riggs and Massiah were on pace to decimate their personal records. By the time the race was over, Bumann had set a new course record of 56:09 and Riggs and Massiah were both three to four minutes under their previous best. In a sport where times can sometimes by measured in hundredths of a second, taking minutes off a time is a truly outstanding achievement.
Sue Brown’s three-lap effort qualified her as the lone female, and she will compete in both the time trial and road race.
In the upcoming Caribbean Cycling Championships, the V.I. Cycling Federation expects to field an extremely strong team, as St. Croix has become a hotbed of cycling, and these cyclists are among the best in the region. Robert Bumann should medal in the 40K Individual Time Trial, and a win is not out of the picture. Massiah will join Bumann in the time trial, and all three riders will team up in the 130K road race.
Winners’ time trial (airport loop): qualifying race for the Elite Caribbean Cycling Championship races.
lap 1 lap 2 lap 3 lap 4 total
1. Robert Bumann 13:41 13:59 14:14 14:15 56:09
2. Glenn Massiah 14:05 14:38 14:38 14:22 57:43
3. John Riggs 14:16 15:28 14:40 14:18 58:42
4. Sue Brown 15:19 15:41 16:03 ——– 47:03
