For the first time, Cayman Cycling presented the Road & ITT National Championships, where Caymanian Junior (16-18yrs), U23 (19-22yrs), Elite Men & Women (23-39yrs) and Masters (40+ yrs) National Champions would be crowned.
Individual Time Trial Championship
For the first time, Cayman Cycling presented the Road & ITT National Championships, where Caymanian Junior (16-18yrs), U23 (19-22yrs), Elite Men & Women (23-39yrs) and Masters (40+ yrs) National Champions would be crowned.
The events utilised the well-known East End Circuit which began at Clifton Hunter High School, continued towards East End, then down the back straight of Queen’s Highway and returned home southward on Frank Sound Road.
The National ITT Championship (July 10th) course was one lap of the 31km circuit for all categories, and the Road Race Championship (July 17th) featured staggered distances for the various categories with Women & Juniors riding 2 laps of the circuit (64km), Masters racing for three laps (93km), and the U23 & Elite Men battling it out for four laps (124km).
The 2022 Cayman Cycling National Championships kicked off on Sunday, July 10th with the Individual Time Trial (ITT) Championship. Setting off at 2 minute intervals, all categories navigated the same, flat 31km (18.75-mile) East End circuit course in near perfect conditions. Kevin Connolly won the elite men’s time trial title, with Nathaniel Forbes taking the U23 title and Jerome Ameline winning the Masters category. The 3 National Champions were firing on all pistons – Ameline recording the fastest time of the day in 43:15, with Nathaniel coming in at +1:01 and Kevin following at +0:55 later.
Cayman Cycling Individual Time Trial National Champions
Kevin Connolly – Elite Men
Nathaniel Forbes – U23 Men
Jerome Ameline – Masters
Road Race Championship
The fireworks continued on Sunday, July 17th in the Road Race National Championship, with riders battling it out in high temperatures and pockets of rain. Like the ITT, the same names came to the forefront, powered by explosive performances. In the U23/Elite race, national team rider Nathaniel Forbes produced a masterclass to roll solo across the line for the victory and the U23 National Championship. In the Elite division, Kevin Connolly’s consistency allowed him to outlast the competition to take the title. Andrew Mclaughlin overcame several mechanical issues to take 2nd and Chris Bodden gained a hard-fought 3rd place. Jerome Ameline left late after a long solo breakaway by Mario Sanchez, but displayed a blistering high-intensity effort to finish and take the Masters National Championship ahead of Sanchez with Jeremy Solomon in 3rd.
2022 Cayman Cycling Road Race National Champions
Kevin Connolly – Elite Men
Nathaniel Forbes – U23 Men
Jerome Ameline – Masters
Many thanks for the generous support of local companies Catalyst Group, Tricor, Mercedes-Benz Cayman, AA Rubis and Trifecta Films for our inaugural 2022 Cayman Cycling National Championships.
