USA’s Jonny Browne won the Tobago International Cycling Classic’s Tour of Tobago yesterday, crossing the finish line well clear of all challengers, in a time of four hours, 27 minutes and 1.30 seconds, to clinch the overall title after three stages of racing.
His closest rival yesterday was Colombia’s Oscar Pachon, who came in more than three minutes after Browne in 4:30:55.67. Another Colombian Mateo Garcia, riding for Team Foundation, was a further six minutes adrift, completing the 120 km race around the sister isle in 4:36:35.16.
The riders set off from the Scarborough Esplanade and it was Pachon in the lead as they approached Bloody Bay. He maintained his place at the front through Castara, Des Vignes road and Mason Hall before Browne took over in Lambeau.
Browne was also crowned the overall champion having also won the opening stage on Friday, finishing ahead of Garcia and Pachon, respectively. He placed ninth in Saturday’s criterium second stage. “I’ve raced all around the world and this is definitely the hardest course I have ever done,” Browne said after the race. “I stayed in my zone all day. They were pushing harder than me during the climb but I just stayed controlled and then once we hit the highway and back into the city I was going much faster. It was hot and I was just trying to stay cool all day and I did the best I could with that,” he explained.
The Tour of Tobago was also his season-ender and he was pleased with the overall result. He admitted that he is not necessarily a climber.
“On steep stuff I suffer quite a bit so the power I did today was quite impressive,” he added.
Meanwhile, Division Two was won by Josias Valasquez of Venezuela who completed the 30km race in 1:33:18.52. He said he was happy with his ride in what he described as a hard course. The Team Pharmaco rider said it was his first time in the Tobago and despite not being familiar with the terrain, he took a chance coming out of the hills which worked out for him in the end.
“This is the first time in Tobago, I didn’t know the course and I took a chance descending which was very (dangerous) and I almost fell twice but I got away from them (the other cyclists) with about 16 kilometres to go and I made it solo,” he explained.
Valasquez said he was confident he would win the final stage following his victory in the stage two 20km race on Saturday. “I was sure I was going to win and the guys was looking at me all the time and when I saw the chance to go, I went and it was after the hills before the coastline and I came out solo by the coastline and the highway had very hard breeze but I did it,” he concluded.
Guyana’s Andre Greene of RigTech Sonics was second in the Division Two while T&T’s Jadian Neaves of Raiders placed third. On the team standings, Miami Blazers finished on top with 181 points with Team Pharmaco second on 155.
TICC selected results:
Stage 3 — Tour of Tobago
Division 1 (120km)
1st—Jonny Brown (Miami Blazers/USA)—4 hrs 27 minutes 01.30 seconds (4:27:01.30)
2nd—Oscar Pachon (Raiders/COL)—4:30:55.67
3rd—Mateo Garcia (Team Foundation/COL)—4:36:35.16
4th—Joshua Kelly (Miami Blazers/Barbados)—4:40:41.76
Division 2 (30km)
1st—Josias Valasquez (Team Pharmaco/VEN)—1:33;18.52
2nd—Andre Greene (RigTech/GUY)—1:34:59.46
3rd—Jadian Neaves (Raiders/TTO)—1:34:59.76
Credit: Source link
