Filipino Okona Pedal Pusher par excellence
George Louis Okona of the Golden Target Team from the Philippines, clinched the overall championship of the Sri Lanka Tea Cup International Cycle Race held over 3 days from Pasikudah to Negombo, a distance of 348.5 km. Okona was placed 2nd in the 3rd and final stage from Kandy to Negombo, a distance of 124.5 km. However, his wins in the 1st and 2nd stages from Pasikudah to Mahiyanganaya and then from Mahiyanganaya to Kandy, ensured him the overall championship title.
Filipino Okona took 8 hrs 17 min 13 secs for all 3 stages, 5 secs ahead of Runner-up, Netherlands' Samuel Walkers. Another Team Netherland, Harry Fitriano clocked 8 hrs 19 min 7 secs to finish overall 3rd.
Both Cyclists from the Netherlands failed to impress in the 3rd and final stage, but their overall performances were highly impressive. Walkers was placed 3rd and 2nd in the 1st 2 stages, while Fitriano finished 8th and 3rd in both stages.
Sri Lankan Buddhika Warnakulasuriya of the Sri Lanka Air Force, was overall 7th and was named Best Sri Lankan Rider of the Race. He was placed 4th, 12th and 13th respectively, in the 3 stages. The overall Team championship went to Netherlands, with Philippines 2nd, ahead of Malaysia in 3rd place. Malaysia's Nabeel Omar Sofiyan won Overall Best Sprinter, while Philippines' Butes Ryan Subeet won King of the Mountains.
The 3 stages were PasikudahMahiyanganaya 132.4 km, Mahiyanganaya-Kandy 91.6 km and Kandy-Negombo 124.5 km. A total of 61 riders from 13 countries participated.
Titled Sri Lanka's pioneering Cycle race of a whole new dimension with an international touch, was initiated by Lanka SportsReizen (LSR), headed by its Managing Director, sports enthusiast Thilak Weerasinghe. The LSR also initiated the now successful Colombo Marathon, Sri Lanka's only International Marathon held annually from Colombo to Negombo.
"My final target is to host this in the international calendar of the Union Cycling International (UCI). We invited an international panel of commissaries (judges) from Malaysia and Japan to run the tour to UCI standards with info motto for communications, timing and result services, radio tour all handled by foreign experts in this field. LSR invested on this tour and SriLankan Airlines were our official carrier. I am not looking at short term benefits but at the broader prospects Sri Lanka T’ Cup will derive for the country and the sport at large," Weerasinghe stated.
Malaysia, Philippines, Pakistan, Netherlands, Kenya, Singapore and Hong Kong fielded teams for the Race, while Sri Lanka was represented by teams from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Police, Dehiwela-Mt. Lavinia Municipal Council, Sri Lanka Ports Authority, Sri Lanka Telecom, SriLankan Airlines and Bianchi Cycles. 1: George Louis Okona (Philippines) 2: Samuel Walkers (Netherlands) 3: Harry Fitrianto (Netherlands) 4: Butes Ryan Subeet (Philippines) 5: Daniel Mohamed (Malaysia) 6: Nabeel Omar Sofiyan (Malaysia) 7: Buddhika Warnakumasuriya (Sri Lanka Air Force) 8: Lex Netherlof (Netherlands) 9: Suranga Ranaweera (Dehiwela-Mt. Lavinia MC) 10:Bastian Doiling (Singapore) - - - - - - - - - - 8.17:13 8.17:18 8.19:07 8.19:15 8.21:25 8.21:57 8.24:14 8.24:25 8.24:41 8.25:35