TT team off to Jr Pan Am

The national squad comprises Aziza Browne, Keiana Lester, Kollyn St George, Justin Roberts and Samuel Mahabir. They will be joined by team manager Gary Acosta, coach Clinton Grant, mechanic Kevin Tinto and chaperone Melissa Constance.

This year, the national team will be defending two Pan Am titles - the Men’s Team Sprint, which was won by Kwesi Browne, Roberts and Mahabir last year and the Women’s equivalent, copped by the duo of Aziza Browne and Jodi Goodridge.

Speaking to team manager Acosta yesterday, he revealed that the local squad should expect stiff competition from the other contesting nations including riders from Venezuela, Colombia and the hosts.

He explained: “We expect the competition to be just as or even more difficult than last year, but we believe that we have a very good crop of cyclists who can increase on last year’s tally.”

In 2012, TT had their best showing ever at a Junior Pan Am as they returned home with two gold and one bronze. The bronze was picked up by Goodridge in the Women’s 500m Time Trial, however, she will not be heading to Mexico this year.

Acosta also mentioned that the Trinidad and Tobago Cycling Federation (TTCF) recently teamed up with the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SPORTT) to help improve local riders technically and mentally.

“We partnered with the Sport Company, who made the services of Sports Psychology and Massage Therapy to the team,” he said. “For the past month, we’ve had Ms Amanda Johnson, Sports Psychology officer, working with the cyclists in areas such as dealing with pressure, focussing, concentration and team building.”

Acosta reiterated the importance of such a style of preparation and concluded: “We placed a lot of focus on the cyclists’ mental preparation and readiness for the task at hand to accompany and complement their physical readiness.”

Meanwhile, Team Drive Phase Sport representative Justin Roberts, is expected to join the team in Mexico tomorrow. Roberts, along with Team DPS members, Quincy Alexander, Haseem McLean and Jovian Gomez, completed their International Cycling Union (UCI) Beijing Grand Prix stint yesterday.