Rodman takes criterium, on track for 2012 Olympics
TOP Jamaican cyclists Marloe Rodman and Oniel Samuels showed their moves at the first annual Jamaica Bicycle Criterium at the National Stadium on Sunday with some $80,000 in prize money to competitors in both the A and B races.
With 45 minutes and three laps in the A race, Rodman and Samuels lapped the rest of their rivals after half an hour to highlight the two-man show, which also included a sprint on the 0.6 km lap.
In the end, Rodman won ahead of Samuels, with Cleveland Sharpe taking third place, followed by Jasette Bromfield and Michael Daley. The top 10 cyclists in the A race will receive money in the Oracabessa Foundationsponsored event.
In the B race, where the top five received money, in the 25 minutes and three-lap event, Winston Foster won with Donald Hall second and Devon Beckford third.
Rodman spoke after the race: “My main opponent was Oniel Samuels. Two of us were pretty strong, so I watched him closely. We were sharing the preems. I know that when it came down to the last lap, if I try to get in the corner first, he can’t past.
“He is a very good rider. We have been all over the place together: Brazil, St Maarten, Trinidad, all over,” he said.
Rodman “strongly believes” he has a chance at the 2012 Olympics. “I have a team (SISScience in Sports) in England riding for and I hope to do it on the track, not on the road, so my team is preparing me for the Olympics,” noted Rodman, riding for the last three years professionally.
Added Samuels: “I’ve been racing from February and the racing season ends in October with the Caribbean Championships. I was on a two-week break when I heard about this race.
“I know I could ride the race to the end and win, but lapping the field was not a good idea as there is always some misunderstanding. Some of the riders try to sprint when they are a lap down, so when I tried to past Marloe on the corner one of the lapped riders was in the way and I had to slow down,” Samuels explained.
Australian Jeff Hopkins of Jittery Joes Pro Cycling team and on his first trip to Jamaica, was commenting on the race after conducting a velodrome skills camp for beginners and advanced riders on Saturday.
