Rain and Wind Don’t Stop the Fresh Start Road Race

In spite of the wet, windy morning last Sunday, the Virgin Islands Cycling Federation reported a good turnout for the Fresh Start Road Race, which started and finished at the former Great Pond Store on St Croix’s south side.

The small Elite field stayed together as they rode comfortably for the first two laps of the 45-mile race. Stephen Swanton pulled away from Alex Betancourt and Glenn Massiah on the third and final lap with about 10 miles to go. Swanton finished in a total time of 2:11:01. Betancourt was second in 2:13:52 and Massiah was third in 2:15:35. David Parris abandoned the race after lap 2, according to the press release. The 30-mile Expert race was the most exciting race of the morning, with the first six finishers within eight seconds of each other when crossing the finish line. There was mention of an early charge by the Boy Scout Camp, which is about one mile from the finish. Tom Keery, who visits St. Croix often, reached the line first in 1:33:01. Keery’s visiting friend, John Sales, was second and Ted Prosper was third. Rounding out the rest of the group were Wayne Nichols, Tom Scull and James Bates, respectively. Esther Ellis was the lone female in the group, the press release stated.