5th annual Jason Bally Memorial 100K set for Sunday

BY DEAN GREENAWAY

 More than 50 regional cyclists are set to compete in Sunday’s 5th annual Jason Bally Memorial 100K. The race begins with an 8 a.m. memorial service in Sea Cows Bay where Bally was innocently gunned down in 1999, followed by a procession into Road Town for the 9 a.m. start of the race at the Festival Village Site. Registration will be held at Village Cay Marina on Friday and Saturday night.

BVI Cycling Federation president David Thomas said cyclists from Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia, Antigua, Anguilla, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands will be competing for $5000 in prizes in the 70 mile race that will be contested on a new course. “The good thing this year is that the race comes about two weeks before the Caribbean Cycling Championships in St. Lucia. It’s a great warm up for that event,” Thomas said.

The course this year has been altered Thomas said. He noted that from the Festival Village Site start, the race heads to West End, out to the airport with a turnaround that will take riders back to the Bobby’s Roundabout in Road Town. From there, riders will head back to the airport before coming back to finish at the Festival Village Site.

>From a survey following last year’s race, Thomas said one of the overwhelming requests was to send the race back over the hills twice. “The race now will become interesting because the guys who are sprinters won’t be able to take advantage anymore and I think it will now come down to overall fitness,” Thomas explained. “The changes will also make it a more exciting race and hopefully, our guys should be able to capitalize on it, seeing that the race is going over the hills twice.”

With the change, Thomas noted that riders will now have to think their race differently. “In essence, they will have to go over the hills 16 times going and coming,” Thomas said. “We have also decided to include some sprint bonus prizes in three separate spots along the course. This will give the sprinters something to shoot for. We are also trying to develop the race into several races into one almost like the Tour de France where you get sprint bonus prizes. This will make it interesting for the guys that won’t be able to win because of the climbing.”

The race will have courses for three different classes. Road bikes will contest the full course while mountain bikes will finish on the first downward leg from the airport. A shorter course will also be offered where ricers will only tackle one hill and turnaround in Fish Bay and finish at the Festival Village Site.