TOP LOCAL, regional and international cyclists will battle for Olympic Games points when the PSL Cycling Club of TT presents the UCI (International Cycling Union) Class II International Fire on Wheels event at the National Cycling Centre in Couva, on June 2 and 3.
The event will allow cyclists from around the world to gain valuable qualification points towards the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. The organisers are hoping to make it an annual event with expectations of making it a Class I event in the future.
Yesterday, at the launch of the event at the TT Olympic Committee (TTOC) House on Abercromby Street in Port of Spain, CEO and managing director of PSL Desmond Roberts was anticipating the event.
“Welcome to the Fire and Wheels launch today (yesterday), which is one of my dreams since the Cycling Federation opened this new velodrome in TT,” Roberts said.
Roberts said international cyclists are already showing interest in the event.
“We hope to make this event an international event. Some cyclists have already started contacting us through our website to take part in the Fire and Wheels Cycling Classic which is sanctioned by UCI.”
Roberts said this event will help TT’s sport tourism drive. “We could market our velodrome instead of it just sitting there like a sitting duck and get cyclists to come down here and use our facilities. We are looking at the tourism side of it where the country could benefit in that area.”
Some of the other people who attended the launch were TT Cycling Federation president Robert Farrier, TT cycling legend Gene Samuel, Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs representative Patrice Charles and president of the TTOC Brian Lewis.