The Trinidad and Tobago Cycling Federation (TTCF) will hold two assessment events starting this week to select national teams for upcoming competitions. The assessments will take place over the next two Fridays (April 9 & 16) at the National Cycling Centre in Couva, from 7-8.30 p.m. each day.
These events are being used as assessments to select teams for the upcoming Junior Pan American Track Championships from May 31-June 6 in Mexico, the Junior Caribbean Track Championships (July 1-4) in Guadeloupe, and the Nations Cup 3 from June 3-6, in Cali, Colombia. Already, assessments have been used to select teams for the Elite Pan Am Championships and the Junior World Championships. The TTCF said the country’s Olympic-bound track cyclists Nicholas Paul and Kwesi Browne would gain automatic selection for the Nations Cup 3 in the sprint and keirin events.
Also, assessments for second year juveniles would only be for team sprint selection. For the time being, the assessments will be the only competitive action for local riders. “We were planning to have a track keep-fit this week with the assessment. However, with the revised Covid restrictions placed on sport we thought it would be irresponsible of us to have the keep-fit with what we are seeing as the spike in the Covid situation,” Federation president Rowena Williams said yesterday.
The spots up for grabs for the Nations Cup 3 are as follows: 1 sprint (Male/Female), 1 keirin (Male/Female), 1 team sprint, 1 team pursuit, 1 individual pursuit (Male/Female), Madison (Male team), 1 omnium (Male/Female), team sprint (Female), 2-Kilo (Male/Female).
For the Junior Pan Ams, the spot allocations are: 2 sprint (Male/Female), 2 keirin (Male/Female), 1 team sprint, 1 team pursuit, 1 individual pursuit (Male/Female), 1 omnium (Male/Female), team sprint (Female), 2-Kilo (Male/Female).
Cyclists who are eligible to participate in the assessments include those with UCI world rankings; riders with top four placings from the Elite and Junior National Championships in 2020 and the top two Juniors at the 2020 National Championships who are now at the elite level. The TTCF said cyclists who are out of the country would be required to provide relevant progress, sustained times reports of their performances signed off by their coaches and results achieved at UCI-sanctioned events. Results must be signed by the UCI commissaire for the specific event.
No spectators would be allowed and clubs are only to have the competing cyclists and two officials at the velodrome. Once cyclists have completed their events and are not taking part in any other event, they are required to vacate the premises. Following is the assessment schedule: Ladies flying 200, second year Juveniles flying 200, Juniors flying 200, Elite flying 200, Ladies individual pursuit, Juniors individual pursuit, Elite individual pursuit, Ladies standing 500, second year juveniles standing 500, Juniors standing 500, Elite kilo, standing 250 (for starting position for team sprint Junior/Elite Men; this would also be open for second year Juvenile cyclists).
