M & M melt the competition

Dominique Mayho and Nicole Mitchell won Riders of the Year at Saturday night’s Bermuda Bicycle Association’s Awards Dinner.

There was little doubt that either would wheel away with the top prize of Male and Female Rider of the Year after collecting enough silverware earlier in the evening to open their own trophy shops.

Mark Godfrey was named Young Rider of the Year while Club Person of the Year was Berkeley teacher Richard North.

Clifford Roberts was Most Improved Rider of the Year and Vashon Cann the Most Improved Junior.

Mayho dominated the men’s racing season like it had never been done before. He won all four national titles: mountain bikes, time trial, road race and criterium.

Mayho won every road race he entered except one and won all the mountain bike races. He smashed Garth Thompson’s time trial record and came within four seconds of beating Tyler Butterfield’s Shelly Bay record. 

Martin Bolton, Master of Ceremonies and former BBA president,  said: “Without a doubt Nicole Mitchell has continued to progress her racing this year and carried away a basketful of national championships away with her.”

Mitchell’s year included titles included the triple crown of road race, time trial and criterium. She topped that off by winning the silver medal in the Caribbean Time Trial Championships and the silver in the Caribbean Road Race.

Godfrey won in what was the toughest category to win, Junior Rider of the Year as there were several worthy candidates to take the top prize. 

Bolton said “Mark’s results on the year make an impressive resume.” He was eighth in the adult series, the Junior Road Race champion, third in the Junior Time Trial Championships and eighth in the Caribbean Time Trial Championships.

North was instrumental in starting up a cycling club at the Berkeley Institute which has led to a flood of young talent coming into the Bermuda Bicycle Association like Nico Barclay, Mayho and Cann. 

Bolton said: “Most of you have probably been beaten the product of his influence.”

Roberts picked up the Most Improved Rider Award in part for his fourth in the IBC National Criterium Championships. Bolton said: “You never see him at the front of the race but he’s always up there in the top five or six riders. He makes the hills seem effortless.”

Bolton said Cann “who often sat in the shadows of some of his contemporaries” but had a superb season.