By BRENT STUBBS
Senior Sports Reporter
bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
FELIX Neely, the top junior cyclist in the country, will leave town today to represent the Bahamas at the Junior Caribbean Cycling Championships in Georgetown, Guyana, August 10-11.
Neely, 16, will travel with Grand Bahamian Kenton Roker, the first vice president of the Bahamas Cycling Federation. They are scheduled to return on August 13, and hopefully, according to BSF president Roy Colebrook, with some hardware.
“We believe that all of the training that Felix had in Colombia and then competing in the Nationals where he was second overall in Bahamians and fourth place overall, showed where he’s at right now,” Colebrook said.
“I think it’s a tremendous feat for him and so he’s well poised to do very well in these junior cycling championships and we’re looking for some great things to happen for Felix.”
Neely is expected to carry the Bahamas on his chest against a field of 18 other countries expected to be participating in the championships. He will be out to become the second Bahamian to win the title, joining Jay Major, who won his title a couple of years in Puerto Rico.”
“I feel excellent. I feel like I’m ready for it,” Neely said. “I know it’s going to be tough, but I’m not going to give up. I’m going to put everything in it. I’m just going to stay focused and push myself.”
As for his conditioning going into the event, Neely said he’s confident that he can compete in the peloton and subsequently be in contention to compete against the top competitors.
“From my past races, I was doing very well,” he said. “I was in Colombia training in the high altitude, so I feel I should be ready for it. I’m on my bike everyday training.”
The CV Bethel 11th grader said if he can finish in the peloton in the road race and end up in the top 10 in the time trials, he will have contentment with his performance.
He thanked Colebrook and New Providence Cycling Association president Bertram ‘Cowboy’ Musgrove for the role they both played in getting him prepared for the championships.
“I want to thank my coaches for the training that I got in Colombia too,” he said. “Whatever you put your mind to, fight for it. Ain’t nobody can take it away from you. Nobody can do it for you. You have to do it for yourself.”
“I think Felix has exceeded all of the expectations from the coaches here in the Bahamas and in Colombia,” Colebrook said. “So I think Felix is doing very well and the coaches in Colombia are calling for him to come back and extend his time there to a year.
“Felix, jokingly, always had one desire that is to be better than his big brother, Anthony ‘Biggie’ Colebrook. Biggie is our reigning national champion. He has it in him and so I’m looking for bigger and better things from Felix.”
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