Cyclists Chris Bodden and Jeremy Solomon have made their way to Punta del Este, Uruguay, to compete in the Pan American Road Cycling Championships.
Bodden will compete in the Individual Time Trial (36km) on 24 April while both cyclists will compete in the Elite Road Race (214km) on 26 April. Cayman Cycling’s Liam Munn, of the board of directors, and President Daniel Cummings have travelled in the capacity of team managers.
Bodden told the Compass, “I’m feeling really good. I’ve been on a solid training programme and we’re coming off of a good performance at the Jamaica International Cycling Classic a couple weeks ago.”
He said, “This will be the highest-level race I’ve done so far, but I love the opportunity to compete against athletes at a high level. It reminds me that there’s always room for improvement and to push yourself.”
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to travel to such incredible places to compete and represent the Cayman Islands.”
He shared that his favourite racing discipline is the Individual Time Trial, and his goal is “to secure a solid performance.”
For the Elite Road Race, his goal is “to finish the whole race with the main peloton”.
Solomon is feeling confident and told the Compass, “Mentally, I’m rock solid.”
With the understanding that “there’s always more that can be done”, he added, “I do put in a tremendous amount of work to keep my body in shape and ready to go for these cycling events.”
Cummings said, “This event represents one of the highest levels of competition in the region and gives us the opportunity to test ourselves against some of the best athletes in the region.”
“Being one of the smallest nations, we are not a dominating force on the world cycling scene, but that’s not going to stop us from going out there and doing our best to get the best result possible.”
Despite Cayman’s size, Solomon says that he loves this game, expects to have a “reasonably decent outcome” and is “always looking for a podium” each time he competes.
“Again, with my hard mentality, that old Cayman style, I’m coming out here to knock it out with some of the best in the game at this level,” he said.
For Solomon, he wants to convey this type of “rock solid mentality” to young Caymanians in hopes of inspiring them to think the same way.
“We’re not stepping into the paint because we’re just here to show up. We’re trying to do something,” he said.
Cummings credits both cyclists for “[putting] their heart and soul into the preparation for this event with hundreds of hours on the bike being spent in the pursuit.”
“I’m really proud of them and [look] forward to seeing them wear their national colors with pride,” he said.
