The national mountain bikers will finally get to test their skills against the best mountain bikers in the Caribbean, when they compete at the Caribbean Mountain Bike Championships in Puerto Rico, today.
The first ever T&T mountain bike team comprises Jason Costelloe (elite men), Ryan Chin (elite men), Candace Chin Fatt (elite women), Peter Sellier (junior men), manager Brian Sellier and coach Drew Edsall.
The Mountain Bike Championships will have teams from Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands and T&T. The event type is known as ‘XCO’ (Cross Country Olympic) and the course will be a trail of four-six km in distance with multiple laps.
The elite race will be approximately one hour and 45 minutes and the juniors will be one hour and 30 minutes.
The team, which left T&T last Wednesday, has been getting familiar with the course over the last couple days, while coach Edsall has been helping the cyclists with starting drills. Edsall tried to ensure that each cyclist is physically and mentally prepared to achieve their personal best for T&T.
The team is grateful for the financial assistance provided by the Sport Company of T&T. The team also thanked the T&T Cycling Federation for making this team possible and all those who have contributed to the individuals development and success through their support, encouragement and assistance.