Sports
Newsday reporter
David Scarlett
Sanger Grande has a new club in town and they are keen to develop the community through fun and fitness.
Established in July 2021, the Ride Out cycling club provides an outlet for residents of Sanger Grande and its environs to recreationally ride and improve their lifestyle.
The club’s founder, Marcel Thomas, spoke with Newsday on Wednesday about the club’s history and goals,
He said, “It started out recreationally. Gary and I started riding short bikes within the area, and later my uncle got interested and joined us. He was a former cyclist with experience through his scout group. They used to go on tours across the country.”
“Unfortunately, on a trip in 2019, he had a stroke and died. This inspired my neighbor and I to form something more solid that would have better measures in place to prevent such incidents in the future.”
He said he was also keen to offer his nephew, who is almost in his teens, something positive to share.
“There are other clubs in the Sangre Grande, but they look different from our system. Their comparison is competitive, and our energy is more community-based.”
However, Thomas intends to grow the club to be strong enough for competitive cycling and still meet the needs of recreational cyclists.
Ride Out is not currently officially registered but already has 30 active members, including members from other clubs who share their knowledge and ideas. They host events inside and outside the clubs to keep their members active. Last December, they held the Champion of the Loop event, which covered a 4.9-kilometre loop road around the streets of Grande. Other clubs from the region included and cyclists received awards for fastest lap, youngest cyclist, and ring champion – the rider who completed the most laps in 30 minutes.
Thomas said: “This event was not under the supervision of the (Trinidad and Tobago Cycling Federation). It was not possible because we would have had to be a registered club and pay them for insurance to cover it. But we intend to host more events as we get closer to formal registration.”
Their next event will be a Mattelot theme park ride from May 21-22.
Thomas’ aspirations is for his club to become competitive and hopefully play a role in producing National Cyclists.
In addition to the club’s existing cyclists, he wants to recruit more young riders and help them develop and realize their potential. “We currently have two promising teens, and the only way for them to get proper exposure and development is to compete and ride outside of the Grand.”
He said the main challenge is financial. “Competitive cycling is very expensive in terms of bikes, training and equipment. We aim to have bikes in the club for competitive use. A competitive bike can cost as much as $30K to $40K.”
To help the club grow and get financial help, Thomas said they are closely associated with another Grande club, whose coach has been riding nationwide. The plan is to work with them to develop the youth program.
They’ve been there before us, and we want to collaborate on what’s best for training and funding. As it stands, we don’t have any sponsors. Our uniforms were bought out of our pockets, but we are currently planning how we will work on that.”
Road cycling can be a dangerous sport. When asked about the safety aspect of the club, Thomas said, “To prevent what happened to my uncle last year, we measured the roads we were about to ride on and determined how much coverage we needed.
“We have an agreement with the Eastern Division of the Ambulance Service and always have a vehicle that follows us when we ride. On almost every occasion, we have someone trained in first aid; emergency contacts; and we post the road before I ride so everyone knows where we are if something happens.”
“We also have first aid kits, a mobile stretcher, helmets and lights. Elbow pads and knee pads can be extra protection but are not required. We have five helmets for anyone (outside the club) to come on a one-off ride, plus additional bikes for rent.”
Turning to his goals for the club, he said in the short term, they seek to complete the company’s registration under legal affairs as well as registration with the Ministry of Community Development by the end of May. He said the goal is to fall under the umbrella of the Trinidad and Tobago Cycling Federation.
Its long-term goals include having advanced members to compete in national and international competitions. He also wants to develop and expand the club’s management because most of the current team is new to the cycling fraternity.
“We have plans to make the club as big as possible. Watch out!” He said.
