The trio of Ayinla Adams, Muhammad Garba Abdulsalam Mahmud emerged the first, second and third of the Kwara State Cycling Competition tagged: “Criterium Race”.
The 20km race organised for teenagers was held along Admiralty Drive in Ilorin, the state capital.
Ayinla Adams surged past other young athletes by finishing the race in the fifty-fifth minutes, Muhammad Garba ended the race in the fifty-eighth minutes to come second while Abdulsalam Mahmud finished the race in the fifty-ninth minutes to emerge third in the competition.
The trio and Dafe Ayomide who came fourth, having ended the race in the sixtieth minutes went home with prizes which were presented by the Commander, Ilorin Unit of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Nasir Muhammad on behalf of the Kwara State Cycling Association.
In his remarks, the Chairman, Kwara State Cycling Association, Alhaji Sholagberu Lawal said the competition was organised to encourage the teenagers to be more committed to the game of Cycling.
Lawal called for support from government and other key stakeholders to promote the game in the state.
Also speaking, the tutor of Kwara State Cycling Team, Coach Lukman Lawal explained that the monthly Caterium race would focus on teenagers to discover more talents, promote Cycling among young ones and prepare them for future representation in major competitions.
“We have thought it wise to invest in these children, by organising the competition on monthly basis, to encourage them and stay focused. In fact, it is a catch-them-young event to support the kids,” the Coach explained.
Coach Lukman however said lack of modern bikes and equipment were hampering the performance of the athletes in trainings and competitions.
Azeezat Tajudeen who spoke on behalf of the young Cycling athletes appealed to relevant stakeholders to support them with new bikes, equipment, safety guide and general service of the existing bikes to prepare them for the challenges in Cycling world.
