Dharshana Prasad SLT Speed Up overall cycling tour champion

Dharshana Prasad of the Sri Lanka Navy emerged as the overall tour champion of the SLT Speed Up Cycle Tour which concluded in Batticaloa yesterday.

Dharshana Prasad completed the sixth stage in 18 hours 29 minutes and 53 seconds. The entire distance was 780.5 kms.the second place went to Charith Fernando of the Sri Lanka Army with a time of 18 hours, 29 minutes and 55 seconds.the third place was taken by Jeevan Jayasinghe of the Sri Lanka Air Force with a time of 18 hours, 30 minutes and 22 seconds.

The event was conducted by the Sri Lanka Cycling Federation and sponsored by Sri Lanka Telecom where 169 riders, including the island’s top riders participated.

The overall tour champion received prize money in a sum of rupees one million. The second placed winner received rupees five hundred thousand and the third placed winner received rupees three hundred thousand.

The best overall sprinter of the event was Jeevan Jayasinghe of the Sri Lanka Air Force. The King of the Mountain award went to Viran Ramesh of the Sri Lanka Air Force. The best youngest rider was Avishka Madonza.

The first stage of the race which started from Colombo ended in Matara covering a distance of 150.7 kms which was won by Naveen Ruchira of the Sri Lanka Air Force with a time of 3.28.00 seconds The second stage from Matara to Ratnapura, a distance of 150 kms, was won by Nishantha Perera of the Dehiwela - Mt. Lavinia Municipal Council, with a time of 3.44.39 seconds.

The third stage from Ratnapura to Kandy, a distance of 127 kms, was annexed by Viran Ramesh of Sri Lanka Ports Authority, returning a time of 3.16.09 seconds.

The fourth stage was from Kandy to Anuradhapura – a distance of 149.8 kms was won by Jeevan Jayasinghe of the Sri Lanka Air Force with a time of 3 hrs. 21 minutes 30 seconds.

The last stage yesterday was in two stages. The first was from Anuradhapura to Polonnaruwa in the morning, a distance of 106 kms, which was won by Kashapa Siriwardena of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority with a time of 2 hrs. 28 minutes 18 seconds.

The second stage of the last stage was held from Polonnaruwa to Batticaloa, a distance of 97 kms which was won by Gayan Kumara of the Sri Lanka Army with the time of 2hrs 09 minutes 20 seconds

In the women’s race which was held on July 27 from Ratmalana to Ambalangoda covering a distance of 80 kms was won by Panchali Sulochana of the Sri Lanka Air Force with a time of 2.31.30. She received a cash prize of Rs. Two Lakhs.

The overall prize money in this five day event was Rs. Four Million.