Bermuda Bicycle Association Present Awards
The Bermuda Bicycle Association held their awards presentation for the 2016 season last evening to recognise the accomplishments of the bicycle racing community in the past year, with eight major awards presented for both service and achievement.
[Left-Right] BBA President Peter Dunne, Female Rider of the Year Alyssa Rowse, Male Rider of the Year Matthew Oliveira, Junior Rider of the Year Kaden Hopkins, BBA Racing Committee Chair Fiona Miller and Most Improved Junior Ziani Burgesson.
The presentations were made, with the following commentary from BBA President Peter Dunne:
Race Official of the Year – Terry Trott
Officials are the unsung heroes of bicycle racing and sometimes there called even worse things! But Terry brings a calm and logical sense to what can be a tough role.
Charles Thresh, who has lead the officiating for the last several years and Fiona Miller, as head or the Racing Committee, both commented on how thorough his reports are and, when there are disputes, he has always approached the matters in a completely professional manner. Terry is a great role model for how the task of officiating should be done and for this reason he has been selected as Race Official of the Year.
Race Organiser of the Year – Dave Collins
Dave is being recognised for bringing cyclocross racing to Bermuda and developing new and exciting Mountain Biking championship courses.
In both of these areas Dave has not only contributed new ideas but been willing to roll up his sleeves and chop things down. This combination of planning and action have given all of us new forms of racing and exciting venues at which to pursue them.
Club Person of the Year – Charles Thresh
Charlie has been organising the race officiating for the last several years, working to convert racers into deep thinking analysts of local competition, not a small task! His work has greatly enhanced the racing experience for all, even those who fall afoul of the competition regulations.
Charlie is stepping down from this position but has left us with a well organised and educated cadre of officials. So we would like to recognise him for this work and, if any of you are interested in becoming an official then please contact Fiona Miller.
Most Improved Junior – Ziani Burgesson
Ziani is a quiet force to be reckoned with, just ask any of the guys racing in the C category. Though he only just turned 14, Ziani appeared on the C podium five times in 2016 and finished the season by winning the final race. This gave him third place for the year in a category that was as competitive as any other.
We are delighted to make this presentation to Ziani in recognition of his progress in 2016 and we hope that he will continue to push himself further and achieve even more in 2017.
Most Improved Adult – Rose-Anna Hoey
In a prior life Rose-Anna was know as a top road runner in Bermuda and we are pleased to see that she has made a quick progression in road cycling in 2016.
She began racing in the Spring as part of the Novice Women category and continued right through the summer and into the second half of the road season, quickly amassing enough series points to finish second overall in the Women’s category. We look forward to her continued progress and a very competitive 2017 for Rose-Anna.
Junior Rider of the Year – Kaden Hopkins
There are so many juniors who are achieving great things on the bike at the moment but we have chosen Kaden Hopkins as the award recipient this year.
Kaden won the road race championship title, was second in the TT championship, first Junior Male in the President’s Cup, third in the road race series A category standings and, to cap the season, claimed the Junior Caribbean Cycling Championships Time Trial title in the 15-16 age group. For these results and a great attitude towards his sport we are pleased to present this Junior Rider of the Year Award to Kaden.
Female Rider of the Year – Alyssa Rowse
Without a doubt Alyssa has been the top performing female cyclist in 2017. Pick a race that she enters and you will find that she fights all the way to the end, regardless of the competition. Alyssa finished second in the road race series in B this year, won the junior titles in Time Trial and Road Race, was top female in Presidents Cup, and won the Time Trial title for junior females in the Caribbean Cycling Championships in St. Lucia.
She capped the season with a fantastic performance in the Green Mountain Stage Race in Vermont, finishing second on GC, second in the crit, second in the sprinter competition and second in the climbing competition. This was a great year for Alyssa and we look forward to many more in the future.
Male Rider of the Year – Matthew Oliveira
Matt is our Male Rider of the Year for his amazing local season in 2016. He won six of the 10 road race series events and was on the podium for two others. His aggressive race style has him always looking to be in the break and making it stick.
In addition to the series events Matt won his first Sinclair Packwood Memorial Race title, scooped the junior TT title, and was third in the road race championships. Unfortunately illness kept him from the Caribbean Championships where we are sure he would have turned in more impressive riding. For all of his accomplishments in 2016 we are delighted to present him with this award.
