To Read an article That was printing in the Internationally known Florida Cycling Magazine on Febraury 2nd 2012 Please click the image below

.

THE TRIBUNE

Published On:Monday, January 30, 2012

More than 100 cyclists from as far away as California descended on the ninth annual Tour of the Bahamas - the nation's premier cycling event - this weekend in Nassau. Local and foreign competitors competed for up to $16,000 in cash prizes and awards.

Sports director Tim Munnings said the Tour of the Bahamas is "one of the most important events on the sports calendar. For the first time, a non-competitive Family Fun Ride was also held in conjunction with the competitive pro, master and junior tour races.

Hosted by the JAR Cycling Club, Tour of the Bahamas is sponsored by BOB, Mahogany House, Scottdale Bedding, BTC, The Windshield House, National Fence Company, Cycles Unlimited, Atlantis and the Ministries of Tourism and Youth, Sports and Culture.

The event featured a three-mile individual time trial followed by a 42-mile circuit -seven laps of a six-mile course - set for 8am today with the 76-mile race set for 8am Tuesday. Juniors will race a 30-mile course.

Professional and development racing teams in this year's event included BMC Hincapie Development Team, No Tubes AXA, Jamis Sutter, FloridaVelo Elite and Masters, ASV and Texas Road House.

Each of the three divisions, including men, women and juniors, will compete in various categories. The top men's prize in category one and two will receive $10,000, while the category three top finisher will win $1,000. The category four and five winner will receive a $500 prize, the masters 40-plus winner, $2,000, and masters 50-plus winner will receive $1,000.

Juniors will receive trophies for the top four finishers. Women in category four will receive $200 while the top finisher in categories one, two and three will receive $1,000. Event organiser and JAR member John Cox expects the event to bring a level of star power as it has done in the past.

"The thing that tourism can capitalise on is that when a team comes, they come with their trainers, their doctor and their crew. Every year that we do the tour we are hoping that we can extend it. We call it the Tour of the Bahamas because we hope that at some point we can expand and go to the different islands. We are excited that more visitors can come in and they can have a more Bahamian cultural experience."

"We aim to have repeat riders coming back. When the currency of your event develops it becomes a platform for people to want to come down and do well. Two years ago we had Tyler Farrar, who is a member of the Garmin training team and a major competitor in the Tour de France, he won the Tour of the Bahamas. So, when you mention the name throughout the region, different countries know of the event so that is one of the things that is developing."

Tour of The Bahamas International Cycling Competition at Clifton Heritage National Park

Dated: 28th - 29th January, 2011

The 8th Annual Tour of The Bahamas International Cycling Competition was conducted from the northern parking lot of Clifton Heritage National Park on 28th - 29th January, 2011.

More than 100 racing cylists from 40 countries around the world took part in the event organized by Jeff's Auto Repair (JAR) Cycling Ltd - Sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism, Holowesko Partners and Bank of the Bahamas.

News - Sports

Written by BIS

Friday, 20 August 2010 14:57

NASSAU, The Bahamas – Minister of Youth. Sports and Culture the Hon. Charles Maynard said that the Bahamas’ medal-winning performance at the 5th Youth Caribbean Cycling Championships Aruba 2010 is a result of the efforts by all stakeholders, especially the cycling bodies. “We know that it calls for some preparation – years and years of preparation – and fine-tuning to ensure that our athletes get the best chance at competition,” Minister Maynard said, at a press conference on August 18, 2010. Jay Major, 15, scored gold in the 60,000 km road race and silver overall in Juvenile Boys time trial.  Other team members are 15-year-old Roy Colebrooke, Jr., 14-year-old Anthony Colebrooke and 15-year-old Wayne Colebrooke. Minister Maynard said stakeholders met earlier in the year to discuss developments for a new state-of-the-art velodrome (track-cycling arena), giving the athletes  access to facilities and equipment that could assist them in preparing their skills for the world level. “We look forward to that becoming a reality and successes like what we would have seen you do in the last few weeks cause us to get even more excited about the prospect of that development and what it could do for the sport of cycling in The Bahamas,” he said. Minister Maynard congratulated the entire team for their effort in Aruba, showing that they could compete with cyclists from all over the region, some of whom are from islands with facilities that The Bahamas does not yet have. “Sometimes in the Bahamas we only celebrate the medalists and do not celebrate the finalists and those who would have still ranked very high in the overall standings,” Minister Maynard said.  “I want the whole team to know that I am very proud of their success.” Minister Maynard said that the young team members are all going to be trailblazers in a “comeback” for the Bahamas in cycling, where the country had a history of successes.  This “comeback”, he added is going to be a permanent one and he looks forward to the 2016 Olympics. “Anything that the Ministry can do to move the sport forward we will endeavour to do because we believe in cycling,” “We believe in the Federation that if we continue our hard work with determination that, at the end of the day, success would certainly be ours,” president of the Bahamas Amateur Cycling Foundation Roy Colebrooke said. Mr. Colebrooke added that the young men on the team are doing “their endeavour best” to ensure that The Bahamas’ name is, once again, in the Caribbean ranks. “We believe that it is important that these young men be recognised so you see exactly who they are,” he said. Team Bahamas Cycling Coach Jeff Major said they went to Aruba to take part in an international meet different from competitions in the past. “This is something new to us, for these juniors, actually, in this international scene,” Coach Major said. He added that the team worked “very, very well” together, with its members playing their various roles competently. “We would just like to encourage this kind of effort and hopefully we could get more of the youth of the nation to come out and participate in the cycling events,” he said. Team Manager Barron Musgrove added that the young team that went to Aruba is just a “ripple in the pool” of young talent The Bahamas has to showcase. “We have a number of young ladies coming up and we need the Ministry’s assistance in that effort,” Mr. Musgrove said.  “We have 30 or 40 youngsters that we are working with and that’s the key. We want to build a reservoir of youngsters, so when Jay and Anthony move on to the higher ranks, we have a plethora of youngsters just filling those slots and that is where you see success. “Success in your programme could come from creating a feeder system to sustain us for the next 15 years,” he added.  “The is the main thrust of the federation, to create that feeder system where we can continue to prepare more and more competitors and silver and gold medalists. “The team performed excitingly well.” Jay Major said the Aruba Championships were good to compete in, at the highest level that he had ever been in and a good place to have a good team. “You have to have a good team in a team sport,” Jay said.  “The team did well and it was just a team effort.” Minister Maynard said that, under his administration, he wants to end the stigma of the Ministry only seeming to focus on track-and-field. “We want to make sure that all disciplines are treated fairly and that all disciplines are given a chance to grow and develop,” Minister Maynard said.  “You have my assurance that we will work with you in order to continue to build your programme.” Photo: Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture the Hon. Charles Maynard poses, on August 18, 2010, with senior Government officials, stakeholders and members of the Bahamas cycling team that scored gold and silver medals at the 5th Youth Caribbean Cycling Championships Aruba 2010.  Pictured seated, from left, are Permanent Secretary at the Ministry Mrs. Nicole Campbell, Minister Maynard, Acting Director of Sports Kevin Colebrooke and Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry Eugene Poitier.  Standing, from left, are President of the Bahamas Amateur Cycling Federation Roy Colebrooke, Team Coach Jeff Major, Roy Colebrooke, Jr.,  Anthony Colebrooke, Wayne Colebrooke, Jay Major and Secretary of the Cycling Federation and Coach Barron Musgrove.  (BIS Photo / Derek Smith)

JAR Cycling offers training rides for R4H5
Monday September 28th, 2009

We are thrilled to advise New Providence participants that JAR Cycling Club very generously will start with it's novice and beginner rides this Sunday 4th Oct 9:30 AM.

Start location is the Royal Bank of Canada parking lot at Lyford Cay. This ride will be about 1 hour and at slow speed for everyone. Even more generously, JAR Cycling will offer an afternoon section of this ride, for those persons unable to work with the morning time. The fernoon session will leave from the north parking lot at the Clifton Heritage Park at 4:30 PM.

HELMETS ARE MANDATORY! Please remember to bring a bottle of water or sport drink. Check your bike a day before and the day of, to make sure it's ready to ride. Eg: tires inflated, brakes work, seat secure. JAR Cycling founder Jeff Major says, "Our goal is to encourage riders, new adults, and kids wanting to take part in Ride for Hope March 2010."

Many thanks, Jeff!!

Please note: Kids must be accompanied by an adult.

THE BAHAMAS NATIONAL

As part of its commitment to support healthy lifestyles and events that make a difference, Bank of The Bahamas (BOB) announced today it has rolled out a new sponsorship -- the Cycling Tour of The Bahamas set for January 28-29.

Tour of The Bahamas is an exciting event, attracting many of the best cyclists from around the world, providing excellent exposure for The Bahamas and offering an opportunity for our young athletes to compete at home against world-class cyclists," said Vaughn Delaney, Deputy Managing Director. "Imagine the impact of the setting alone as people in the dead of winter elsewhere are watching cyclists tour with the Bahamian landscape and Nassau harbour as a backdrop."

This will be the eighth running of the Tour of The Bahamas, but the first time the award-winning bank has joined Holowesko Partners and the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism as a sponsor. Holowesko Partners Cycling Team ranked #1 in the world after team member Caleb Fairly's first place finish in a cycling event in upstate New York.

“The cycling community is thrilled to once again host some of the best riders in the world at this year’s event and our company is excited to be a part of the race,” said Holowesko. “Mr. Major has successfully hosted this event for numerous years and it has become a favourite race among riders to test their early season conditioning.”

"We cannot thank Mark Holowesko and his team enough. They, along with the Ministry of Tourism, have been behind us since the beginning," said Jeff Major, event organiser and president of JAR Cycling. "Now, with Bank of The Bahamas lending its support and bringing additional prestige to the event, the Tour has reached a new level and we are extremely grateful. Not only does the bank's participation mean strong financial support, but affiliation with the BOB brand solidifies our standing as a serious sporting event. They are a world-recognised institution so this raises the bar for us and we're extremely grateful."

According to Delaney, it was the Junior Circuit's involvement that sparked the award-winning bank's interest.

"What really inspired us was the ability to support the Junior Circuit," said Delaney. "When we learned that one of our own, young Jay Major, was the reigning Caribbean champion and that some of these young kids are outpedalling their parents and setting stunning records, we wanted to do all we could to lend support."

More than 100 cyclists from as far away as Europe are expected to participate. Registration for the three-stage event will be held on Friday, January 28 at 3pm. The first phase of the tour begins at 7am Saturday with a three-mile time trial, followed by a six-mile circuit race with laps ranging from three to seven depending on the category. Sunday, the road courses will begin at 8am with the juniors, covering a 24-mile race, followed by the men, women and masters in a 57-mile race. The pros will start at 9:30 am in a 76-mile competition.

In December, the bank with branches throughout The Bahamas and a financial services centre in South Florida, was named Best Bank in the Country by the Banker magazine for the third time. The bank has also won the Euromoney magazine Award for Excellence three times and was named the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year in 2007. Its community outreach program is comprehensive, touching thousands of lives every year.

“This is really a fantastic opportunity, particularly for our young cyclists, to compete at home against international athletes,” said Tim Munnings, Director of Sports, Ministry of Youth, Sports & Culture. “We are always pleased when a corporate partner joins with an athletic event and we are proud that BOB has decided to help develop our young cyclists.”