Swanson Struck Gold at the Pot O’ Gold Road Race
St. Croix’s Southside Road came alive on Sunday, March 19, as thirty-five cyclists of all ages competed in six divisions at the Virgin Islands Cycling Federation’s (VICF) Pot O’ Gold Road Race. That “Pot of Gold” was not easy to attain as heavy winds added another element to this already challenging course. This 7-mile course started at the entrance to Ha’Penny Bay Beach Club. Bikers then pedaled past Cane Garden. Then navigated their way through Castle Nugent and finally ended where it all started at Ha’Penny.
2023-03-23 17:17:40 - VI News Staff
The most rigorous division was the Elite Division. Four cyclists embarked on this 49-mile excursion. For the first 21 miles, all four bikers were coasting through the race. Stephen Swanston took a one-minute lead over Alex Betancourt and David Parris 28 miles into the competition. Swanston held on to win the race in a time of 2:27.22. Betancourt finished second in a time of 2:30.41. The only female competitor in this race, Robin Seila, crossed the finish line in a time of 2:40.39, earning her third place. Parris, unfortunately, suffered a flat tire late in the competition and wasn’t able to complete the event.
The division that saw the most participants was the Expert Division. Thirteen cyclists wheeled their bikes to the starting line and ventured out on their 35-mile journey. Mat Porporato is new to VICF, but is obviously no rookie, as he recorded the fastest opening time of everyone in the entire competition, finishing the first 7 miles in 20 minutes and seven seconds. He continued to flex on the competition registering sub-20-minute splits for the next three laps. Porporato pedaled through the finish line in an impressive time of 1:39.44. Portorato had to stay focused in this race as 3 seconds separated the second through fifth place in this division. Elijah Payeur and David Morales both turned in a time of 1:44.01. James Bates finished just off the podium with a time of 1:44.03. Wayne Nichols was only a second behind Bates ending the course in 1:44.04.