Cayman Cycling National Team athletes Victor Magalhaes and Kevin Connolly recently took on the best cycling athletes in the region at the 2022 Caribbean Cycling Championships in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.
Individual Time Trial
Road Race
Sunday saw the athletes toe the start line for the 130km Road race. A major crash in the previous women’s race, meant a delayed start, with the riders rolling across the start line in almost 90-degree midday sun. Despite the sweltering conditions, the Elite/U23 race pace was very high, with the first few laps averaging 28-30mph+. With both cayman athletes comfortable in the leading group, Kevin’s day was cut short prematurely due to a crash on lap 4, with riders going down in front of him that he could do nothing to avoid and the resulting mechanical issues forcing him to retire. Surviving the early crash, Victor stayed engaged with the main peloton for most of the race but missed out on a late split, ultimately finishing solidly, a few minutes off the winners in 13th place. Both riders performed exceptionally well over the 2-day event and will no doubt look to continue their successes at international racing events in 2023.
As always, these international opportunities would not be possible without the support of others. Both Cayman cycling representatives that accompanied the team, Wayne Kirkconnell (Team Manager) and Daniel Cummings (Technical Director) worked tireless before and during the event to ensure it’s success. Also, to those that provided logistical support – the Cayman Islands Government and the Cayman Islands Olympic Committee (CIOC), as well as Tricor Group, the official equipment partner of the national team.
