Hopkins And Narraway Set For Stage Race
[Written by Stephen Wright]
Bermuda cyclists Kaden Hopkins and Nicholas Narraway will line up at the Green Mountain Stage Race, which begins in Vermont today [August 29].
The four-day event features a time-trial, circuit race, mountain stage, and criterium.
The pair have been preparing at a training camp in Quebec, Canada, before settling into Vermont earlier this week.
Both riders are targeting a strong start in today’s time-trial. The circuit race is expected to suit Hopkins, while the mountain stage should play to Narraway’s strengths.
“It’s been a productive camp,” Hopkins told Bernews.
“It will be my first Green Mountain Stage Race since 2019 – I’ve wanted to compete for the last couple of years, but it just hasn’t worked out because I was racing in Europe [for Vendée U France and Equipo Essax in Spain].
“Now, I’ve got more free time at the end of August, so I made it a priority to do it.
“When I was younger, it was one of my favourite races.”
Hopkins, 25, recently wrapped up his season with Uni Sport Lamentinois in Guadeloupe, where he won the prologue of the Tour of Guadeloupe, finished second in stage six, and placed 21st overall in the general classification.
He is now setting his sights on a return to Europe.
“My objective was to do as well as I could in the Tour of Guadeloupe, but there’s tons of racing there, so it was great to keep racing and maintain that level,” Hopkins said.
“There was a bit of an adjustment period, but once I got used to the flow of the racing, I enjoyed it a lot. It was a much higher level than I expected.
“Normally, I’m only there for the Tour of Guadeloupe – I didn’t know what it would be like for the rest of the year.
“I had some success – I won a couple of races, did well in some stage races.”
Hopkins and Narraway will also represent Bermuda at the Caribbean Cycling Championships in Belize in October, where they will be joined by fellow rider Conor White.
