THE curtains came down on the Jamaica Cycling Federation’s annual Blue Mountain Time Trial with some new names surfacing in the women’s recreational, junior and mountain bike categories.

In the women’s recreational category, Lesley King copped the first place medal with a time of 37:18 minutes, Bianca Hernould in second with 39:13 minutes and Rachel Hernould in third.

In the junior category, Conroy Johnson was awarded the first place medal with a time of 26:14 minutes, Andre Jackson of the Portland Cycling Club in second with 29:22 minutes and Terry Simpson (Portland Cycling Club) in third with 32:31 minutes.

The Fun and Thrills Adventure Club dominated the mountain bike category with first place medal going to Thomas Allen for a time of 39:14 minutes, Bernadette Frankson in second with 52:19 minutes and Patricia Summons in third with 1:02:08 hours.

“This year’s race saw a noticeable increase in female participation, compared to recent years, and our records would show that our female cyclists are becoming more active and competitive,” said president of the Jamaica Cycling Federation, Edward Harper.

This year’s event saw three times the number of individuals registered compared to last year’s event. More than the anticipated 40 cyclists signed up for the five-mile time trial race that commenced at the Blue Mountain Inn and ended at Café Blue, Irish Town.

The event was dominated by top performing cyclist for 2012 Marloe Rodman, who shared the podium with former junior champions Shaquille Sinclair and Thailer Hill. Rodman finished approximately three minutes earlier than the next best time for the event, despite a puncture to his tyre approximately 800 metres before the finish.

“It is safe to say that we have definitely seen increased interest this year, as the numbers represent almost triple the number of cyclists who turned out in 2012,” said Harper. “We were able to register 61 cyclists this year, and that in my estimation shows promise for this upcoming season,” he concluded.