Greaves confident ahead of Pan Am Cycling Championships

Standout Barbadian junior cyclist Arielle Greaves has arrived in Veracruz, Mexico, where she is set to compete at the Junior Pan American Track Cycling Championships from May 5 to 9.

Greaves is slated to compete in three events; the sprint, keirin, and 1km time trial, as she continues to build on her growing reputation on the international stage.

Speaking ahead of the championships, Greaves said she was confident of doing well and hoped to medal.

“I’m very excited to be competing at yet another championship. My training has been very extensive with a lot of overloading and speed endurance work, and I feel very confident going into the competition. 

“I would love to break my previous record in the flying 200m and by the grace of God, cap off my final year as a junior by bringing home some medals. My goal is to improve on my last performance. To young girls, my advice is don’t be scared, just go for it, have fun, work hard, and the results will come,” Greaves said.

She has been accompanied by manager Deidre Hinkson, along with mechanic Elisha Greene of Trinidad and Tobago.

Speaking to Barbados TODAY from Mexico, Hinkson said the small delegation had settled well ahead of the start of competition.

“The conditions here are sunny so far, much like Barbados, except a bit more chilly on evenings. 

“The championship is going to be pretty competitive because we’re going to be going up against a lot of South American countries. She will be competing with competitors from countries such as Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela and Mexico. We expect the competition to be of a very high standard,” Hinkson explained.

However, Hinkson maintained that Greaves was in good form coming into the event.

“She is in good shape and has been training well, doing a lot of speed endurance work. She has been based in Trinidad for the last couple of months, so to be quite honest with you, the expectations of her are really high at this point in time for all three disciplines,” she said.

Greaves’ training stint in Trinidad is a direct result of a lack of a local velodrome, a reality which Hinkson says continues to hinder local riders.

“It is a big loss for us not having a velodrome there because obviously that’s where our development starts for the youngsters, so because we don’t have a velodrome, obviously then it puts us at a disadvantage.

So for her as well as Amber Joseph, they now have to be based overseas in order to get them the requisite training needed,” Hinkson said.

Greaves will be in action beginning on May 6 with the 200m time trial, followed by the one kilometer time trial and the keirin.

She brings valuable experience into the championships having made a strong impression in Lima, Peru in 2025, where she set a junior national record in the flying 200m with a time of 11.800 seconds.

 

(KH/PR)