The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THEY are considered the top two local competitors, but cyclists Jay Major and Anthony ‘Biggie’ Colebrooke both know that it will take some international success in order to be contenders at the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, Australia.

The duo are expected to be the flag carriers for the Bahamas at their second Commonwealth Games. This year’s games will run April 4-15, but they won’t leave until April 5 and should arrive on April 7.

Colebrooke is scheduled to compete in the time trials, while he and Major will contest the road race.

For 23-year-old Major, it’s good to get an opportunity to redeem himself from his initial appearance. “I feel a lot more confident. The first one it was all about getting the experience,” Major said. “This time, we are going there to perform, although I still don’t think that I’m capable where I can go there and try to win the race or make the podium.

“But I definitely feel that I’m in that kind of shape where I can finish the race and be in the top 30, maybe top 20 and if I can do that, it would be very good considering that we will have more than 160 guys in the race.”

Having competed at the last Commonwealth Games in Scotland, Major didn’t get to complete the road race as he was in the back peloton that got eliminated by the top contenders.

“It wasn’t nothing that I ever raced in. It was cold and it was an extremely hilly course,” he pointed out. “This course that we are going to compete on is not as hilly and the climate should be in our favour because it’s expected to be hot like it is here.”

In preparation for the games, Major said he’s been doing a variety of training and levels of cycling, even though he hasn’t done as much racing to test his agility.

“I’ve been training a lot harder than I’ve done in the past in this time of the year because the games are a lot earlier in the year,” Major said. “I’ve been doing a lot of speed workout and riding behind a scooter, trying to turn my legs over faster because the race is going to be very fast. “We are going to be racing against guys who are doing the Tour de France, so it’s going to be a high level of competition that we are going to be faced against.”

Major, who has also been a vigorous diet programme to maintain his weight, said it’s good to have Colebrooke traveling to compete with him.

“Me and Biggie form a really good team,” Major stated. “All two of us are well rounded cyclists, all two of us can climb and we have a pretty good finish. We work well together and we have our country foremost in our country in the foremost position in the race.”

Colebrooke, who resides in Grand Bahama, said he’s not as prepared as he should be because he didn’t get the international training that was promised by the Bahamas Cycling Federation.

“Whatever happens happen,” he insisted. “My training has been off and on because I had to work.”

In Australia, Colebrooke will have double duties as he will contest the time trials and then team up with Major in the road race.

“We’re not going to be as competitive as we should be training here at home for sure,” he stated. “We should have gone off to train. They told us from last year that we would have gone to the United States and even Colombia to train, but that never happened.”

Colebrooke, 22, said he’s just going to go to the games and do his best.

“We normally race against each other, so we know each other strength and weakness,” Colebrooke said. “It’s no difference here, but we have to do a lot of work when we get over there to compete.”

Thew two cyclists, who will be managed and coached by Roshawn Jones, also from Grand Bahama. They will be a part of the 31-member team that was selected and ratified by the Bahamas Olympic Committee earlier this month.

“It’s definitely a honor. Every time you get to represent your country, it’s a big honor,” Major said. “I’m grateful to the association for picking us both and I know I’m definitely going to do my best.”