Locals buzzing for Easter Grand Prix

The 25-year-old Phillip and the 28-year-old Canelon both participated in the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England, as well as last year’s Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

They are expected to be the major names in the three-day long Easter Grand Prix which, for the first time, will be staged at two venues.

In a telephone interview yesterday, Robert Farrier, president of the Trinidad and Tobago Cycling Federation (TT CF), said, “We have two venues to prepare - the Arima Velodrome and the National Cycling Centre in Couva.

It’s a pretty exciting time for us. This is a big event for us. “Every year we try to change the whole atmosphere of the event, make it bigger,” he added. “We gave it a (theme), ‘Where Speed Meets Paradise’, to pump the whole thing up because we think we offer a really good product for the public to view.” This is first time that the National Cycling Centre will be used during the Grand Prix.

Besides Phillip and Canelon, 23-year-old Eoin Mullen from the Republic of Ireland, one of the top sprinters in the sport currently, is also billed to participate.

Farrier added: “We have a lot of interest from the Colombians where they’ve brought in endurance athletes to test our own young team. Our national team is made up of three sprinters - Njisane Phillip, Quincy Alexander and Keron Bramble; and the endurance side is Adam and Joshua Alexander, and Jabari Whiteman. Our lone female on the team is Teneil Campbell.

“It’s actually one of the biggest numbers of international cyclists we have at an Easter Grand Prix. Normally we do about 20-plus riders, this time we have about 40 international riders.” Farrier went on to state, “We have 20 categories of cycling so we’ll cater for all. We start from the young age of five years old, which we’re going to race in Arima, and we’ll go right up to the Elite International Category.

And for us in the local cycling fraternity, this is the Olympics for (the local riders). All our local cyclists look forward to the Easter Grand Prix, from the five-year-olds right up to the Masters 70-plus.” Among the sponsors for the Easter Grand Prix are the Ministry of Sport, Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SPORTT ), National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB), Cole and Associates, Bikes Inn and Caribbean Bottlers.

According to Farrier, “the interest for crowd participation is really building up. We’re actually, for the first time, have been selling advanced tickets. The tickets are going fast. A lot of people (are) showing interest in coming to Couva on Easter Monday to see the new facility and see what cycling (there) is like.” He continued: “There is definitely a greater interest.

There is a buzz.

(The event) is a household name in Arima.

We don’t want to move away from the Arima Velodrome. Everybody knows that Easter weekend, the place to be is the Arima Velodrome.

“We’re just making a little (change). The place to be is not only Arima Velodrome but the National Cycling Centre in Couva,” Farrier ended.