Cayman’s cyclist Jerome Ameline rode to a top performance at the 2023 Jamaica International Cycling Classic, held 31 March-2 April, in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
After securing fourth in the first stage, Ameline finished second in stage two and then prevailed to win the final stage.
His performance earned him enough points to claim the overall masters division title, ahead of Horace Burrows and Lynn Murray of Guyana.
Speaking with the Compass, Ameline said it was a must-win after making the podium in his second race.
“The trip in Jamaica was excellent,” Ameline said. “The whole team was bugging me, saying you better get first tomorrow and win the 500 bucks… and that’s what I did. I raced my ass off the last day.”
Caymanian riders Kevin Connolly and Victor Magalhaes competed in the elite class, with Connolly finishing day one in 29th place and Magalhaes ending at 33rd, dropping them out of contention for a podium spot, though both completed all the stages.
Nathaniel Forbes, another Caymanian competing at the event, represented AVR Racing Team in Jamaica, where he is based.
AVR athletes earned enough points the win the team category with the Cayman squad taking fourth.
Forbes’s best performance came in the bunch sprint, where he claimed seventh. In that event, a large group of riders all sprint to the finish line. He went on to compete in the 80-mile race where he crashed, receiving minor injuries, but still finished. Overall, Forbes placed 10th – higher than any Caymanian competing at the event.
Ameline told the Compass that he wished Forbes had competed for Cayman.
“He did well there,” he said. “It would’ve been so much nicer for him to do it with us… but anyway… hopefully, he is putting his stuff together and he’ll come back to us.
Cayman Cycling stated on their Facebook page that the international event was good preparation for the Pan American and Cycling Championships in Panama set for the end of this month.
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