Phillippe Leroy finally wins his first Tour de Tortola title

 BY DEAN GREENAWAY

 As a four time national champion, the only thing missing from Phillippe Leroy’s storied cycling mantra was a Tour de Tortola title. His drought is over.

“At last I did it. Finally a victory and it feels very good,” Leroy said after overcoming a flat tire and the challenge of 27 other riders to win his first Clarence Thomas Ltd. Tour on Sunday. Leroy covered the 44 mile circumnavigation of Tortola in 2 hours, 20 minutes and 17 seconds. Antigua’s Bryan Lyn was second in 2:25:42 and Conrad “Manny” Emmanuel placed third in 2:39.48 in the race that also attracted riders from the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“I was worried at one point when I had a flat,” Leroy admitted. “I said ‘no, please. Not this year. Not again.’ Luckily, nobody was close by and I was able to win.”

Lyn said he had a good day. “But Phillipe was much stronger today. He did very well. He’s the winner. I congratulate him, but I’m happy with what I did today,” Lyn said. While he hadn’t been racing, Lyn was hoping his mileage would help him towards the end of the race. “The speed that Phillipe went through Steel Point with, I just couldn’t keep it. That’s where he got away,” Lyn noted. “Steel point and Windy Hill always sort of determine who are the real contenders from who’s sort of just competing to finish.”

Leroy said his strategy was to lay off the pace and he was happy when Chris Ghiorse led a group of four through the first leg to West End. Leroy said he did not draft and kept a 40 feet distance behind Ghiorse. “We both worked hard and on Steel Point, I passed him. But, I didn’t go as hard as last year in order not to make the mistake,” Leroy explained. “Then, some people were nice enough to tell me I was way ahead and I made sure I stayed in the low gear and I took my time climbing so I could save my legs.. I paced myself even though I was ahead, instead of going hard and blowing up at the end of the race.”

Cycling Federation president David Thomas said it was good to have riders from Antigua and the USVI. “I’m happy for Phillipe for winning his first tour after coming in second for so many years,” Thomas said. “I thought it was a great race and I saw some great performances today. Overall, it was a really good race. It’s tough, but it’s a good challenge.”

The challenge for St. John’s Lousie Depuy, seventh overall, was different after experiencing mechanical difficulties which made her race harder. “I couldn’t get my granny gear to go in, so I had to jump off on the hills, run and walk and that was just disappointing and discouraging. But, I stuck with it and just limped home,” Louise who was looking for a time around 2:45 said. “I was 10 minutes slower than that, because of the bike difficulties. I had to get off about three different times. I’m happy that I didn’t fall going through the Steel Point and by the Prison because I don’t ever ride on dirt. I’m intimated by that.”

Jeff Donnely also from St. John, it was a tough race. “But, it was inspiring and I’ll definitely be back next year and try to improve my time,” he said. “Windy Hill is the toughest part of the race. I think they should rename it Admiral’s Hill. It’s definitely tough. No two ways about it. It’s a lung buster.”

Fun Novice winner Sam Tucker said his aim was just to finish. “I didn’t care where I finished. I set myself a target of three hours and I came in about 2:20,” he noted. “I’m very pleased with myself.”

Patlian Johnson who finished second in the fun novice division, had a goal to race against the clock. “I wanted to beat my time from last year and I did by 25 minutes. That was my main goal. I’m happy that I finished and hopefully, next year I can beat Sam,” Johnson said. “I was a little disappointed that Olympia’s (Fahie) chain broke because I was hoping she could ride with me all the way and we could push each other over the hills. But, it didn’t happen and I ended up riding by myself. It’s always good to have somebody else to ride with to get more motivation. But, I’m satisfied with what I did and next year, I will try and cut down my time.”

Final results: 1. Phillippe Leroy, 2 hours, 20 minutes and 17 seconds. 2. Bryan Lyn, 2:25.42. 3. Conrad Emmanuel, 2:39.48. 4. Neil Thomas, 2:44.28. 5. Manesseh Phillips, 2:49.35. 6. Steve Marsh, 2:52.30. 7. Louise DePuy, 2:54.02. 8. Jim Cullimore, 2:58.25. 9. Kevin Lenahan, 2:58.35. 10. Anthony Walters, 3:00.39. 11. Darel Christopher, 3:02.37. 12. Elson Solomon, 3:03.25. 13. Angus Peaker, 3:03.42. 14. Ruben Mingo, 3:08.03. 15. Chris Ghiorse, 3:17.05. 16. Jeff Donnely, 3:27.40. 17. Arthur Jones, 3:34.29. 18.. Joe Giacinto, 3:39.07. 19. Tom Merrigan, 3:43.37. 20. Lloydstill Alexander, 4:06.35. 21. Victoria Ghiorse, 4:11.14. Dnf. Andrew Steele, Cliff Williams and Olympia Fahie.

Fun/Novice: 1. Sam Tucker, 2:20.24. 2. Patlian Johnson, 2:24.21. 3. Jackie Wilson, 3:00.38. 4. Mark McKenzie, 3:01.07.