Spill doesn't deter Mitchell's drive for Caribbean Championships

MONDAY, OCTOBER 4: Female cyclist Nicole Mitchell is optimistic she can make a speedy recovery ahead of this month’s Caribbean Championships in Guadeloupe.

The top rider was denied a shot at victory in Sunday’s inaugural IBC National Criterium Championships in Hamilton after crashing just metres from the finish line in a sprint with eventual women’s open winner Sarah Bonnet.
She suffered multiple cuts and bruises in the crash but courageously finished the race after receiving treatment.

The mishap occurred just days after the 27 year-old Mitchell was named in Bermuda’s seven-member Caribbean Championships team that will fly the island’s banner in the Caribbean October 23-24.

Putting a positive spin on her ordeal, the battered rider declared: “I’ll probably be a little bruised for the next few days – but it won’t hamper my training. I will be back out in the group ride and training will continue on as usual because I haven’t broken anything.”

Mitchell is due to travel to Guadeloupe with her Bermuda team-mates October 21.
She added: “I don’t really have a chance to sit out and recover right now. So it will be active recovery. I have three weeks to heal and so I’m confident that I’ll be good to go by then.”

Mitchell crashed after her chain jammed on the last lap around 150 metres from the finish line.
She explained: “I dropped down a few gears and in the sprint I was standing up and my chain got caught and I went down and that was that. It‘s kind of tough on you when you have been racing around for 40 minutes for it to come to that, but it happens.

“Ideally with those kind of headwind/crosswinds you want to be sheltered for as long as possible and then you can pop out with 50 metres to go and take your opponent completely by surprise. You don’t want to be out in front doing all the work for the last 200 metres and then the person behind just pops out.”

In stark contrast to his Caribbean Championship team-mate’s misfortunes on the race course, men’s open winner Darren Glasford wasn’t to be denied on the day.

Glasford reeled in leader Mark Lombardi over the closing stages to pip his rival in a sprint to the finish line to savor a maiden IBC National Criterium win.

“It was a hard race. Mark managed to get in a break and he was out there for a long time,” the elated rider said. “I have to say hats off to Jonathan Herring, Scott Williams, Mark Hatherely and a few of the others for pulling it back.

“I knew it was going to come down to a headwind sprint, and so I didn’t want to be in the front coming down by the Ferry Terminal. I had two riders in front of me, which was perfect position.

“I really wanted to this one. This is my first IBC National Criterium Championships and so thanks to IBC and my whole team (Winner’s Edge) for keeping me safe.”

After allowing victory to virtually slip through his fingers, Lombardi took defeat all in stride.

He said: “Unfortunately Shaky (Glasford) got me right there at the end. But he had a very good sprint and deserved it.

“I put in a hard effort and it was a very good finish all around.”

Women’s open champion Bonnet attributed her triumph to the hard work she has dedicated to training with her fellow team Madison team -mates this year.

She said: “We are quite dedicated with our training through the weeks and it seems to be paying off. I get quite disheartened training with the guys because I am always logging on the back trying to keep up. But obviously when I start racing against the women it shows that I have improved a fair bit.”

Dominique Mayho and Kamryn Minors captured male and female junior honors, while Charlie Pilgrim and Kion Richardson claimed the Junior B and C titles respectively.