The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

WILLIAM Holowesko is the lone flag bearer for Bahamian cyclists at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games and competed in the first of his two events as the discipline got underway.

Holowesko finished seventh in the time trials, just 13 seconds off the winning time at Clifton Heritage Park yesterday.

Matthew Oliveira of Bermuda took gold in 12:06 seconds, followed by Dylan Hughes of Scotland with silver in 12:18 and Sebastian Berwick of Australia, bronze in 12:21.

"The conditions were as good as they get, the course dried up overnight so there wasn't any water. There was a headwind on the way out to Albany and sort of a tailwind all the way back essentially so it couldn't have gone much better for me. I hoped the heat would be an advantage to me and not some of the other riders that may not be accustomed to it, but in all it was a great course."

The course took place over West Bay Street, Clifton Pier South Ocean loop where each match is equivalent to 5.8 miles.

"I didn't have much concerns coming in, I was confident where I was coming into this, I knew that if I went as fast as I could hopefully I could get a good result. I never raced anyone in this field but they seem to be a group of great competitors. The stronger the field is, the better, because that means the road race is going to be nice and fast and be a good race at the end of the day."

Holowesko is a member of the Hot Tubes Cycling team, one of the lonest running and most successful junior cycling programmes in North America. He raced in 32 events for the club in 2016.

After a few days to regroup, Holowesko returns to the course to compete in the road race, one of the final events of the CYG, Sunday July 23.

"They're very different races. The time trial is solely individual; no help from anybody else and your goal is just the fastest time. There's no drafting, there's not much else but to go max out for that amount of time. The race on Sunday will be different going against the field starting against each other, we can draft off each other. The strategy for that is obviously a lot different because you have to follow other riders and use their draft to your advantage."