 Well, some of the top international cyclists are set to descend again on Jamaica's western end for the third annual Jamaican International Cycling Classic. It will be from the 5th of April to the 7th. Ten international cycling teams are expected on the island, including the defending champions, Team 706 out of the USA, along with the club teams from Colombia, the Cayman Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, and possibly a team coming from Rwanda. The event was launched last Friday at Toyota Jamaica in Kingston. National cyclists, the main Douglas, spoke about his participation in this year's event. It's pretty much trying to get top 10s, I would say, more so and reaching for whatever is possible. If podiums are possible, definitely be, you know, my ambitions are high. I'm going for the biggest thing I can get. It was very hard racing and a bit more professional racing, not what we get in Jamaica. So, again, it's a big step forward for us Jamaicans and of course, guys in the region. And Elon Parkinson of sponsors DigiCell spoke about their involvement. DigiCell in 2024, where the Jamaica International Cycling Classic is concerned, we're more than doubling our support. And that's primarily because the event itself has more than doubled the amount of competitors and participants it will have this time around. Indeed, with the international ratification of the tournament, it means that cycling has now been taken to a higher level. We're expecting just over 70 competitors this year. That's a record-breaking number for an event that just started out only just about three years ago. And DigiCell's participation in the tournament is part of our broader mantra to move sports activities and their participants from grassroots to greatness. Elon Parkinson, their race director and tournament conceptualizer, Carlton Simmons joins us in studio to share more on this event. Welcome to the show, Carlton. And let me first of all point out that you're prophetic because you did say last year that this event would eventually get endorsed by the International Cycling Union, and it has. Yes, it has. I mean, thanks for having me. From day one, that was the main objective, you know, to get the event to a point where it can be ratified by the world-governing body. And we have done it. Yeah, and Elon just mentioned, and you referenced it before we went on here live, that this is going to be the biggest one yet. Yes, it is. We're looking to have 10 teams. I mean, tentatively about 15. But we will know by probably end of the week if those other five teams will be coming. But as it is right now, we have the number one team out of Colombia, which is the top team in the North and South American region as a continental team that will be coming. I mean, that team is a team that have riders moving to the pro-cat-one status that rides like the Tour de France and events like that. So that's a big team that is coming to us and came out and be sending back a national team. We have a team coming out of Guyana. The team out of the US with a previous winner and this round will be coming back. We'll be having four local teams taking part, but three of those teams will be composite teams. We'll be having riders from Tour de Caribbean being part of those teams. So it will be seen in from South America because we have a rider from Ecuador, one from Chile, I think, that will be a part of that setup. Trinidad, Barbados and Cayman will be a part of that setup. We will have a team out of Damrep that is coming. Dotsent Martin will be sending a team as well. And tentatively, we're looking at a team out of Guadalupe and from Rwanda, which I am looking forward to see that team coming. I hope they can make it, but they have registered, but in terms of the tribal itinerary that has not been sent to us yet. So I'm still hoping that we'll have them. The number three continental team out of Panama and another top continental team out of the US is tentative as well. So we will know by probably the end of the week if those teams will be coming. But all in all, the numbers has doubled in terms of the participation and not just local participation, but international participation coming here in Jamaica over the weekend. Yeah, and Lance used the word prophetic, but I'd have to say a lot of work has to go into this to get all these different countries and all these different riders interested in this event. What makes it so interesting? I think Brand Jamaica, for one, I mean, people hear about the island and want to see it. So I think it's a big push in that way. And once we got the ratification, it kind of put a different spin on the event. Because what you get now is teams reaching out to us. Yeah, that's what I want them to take part in the event versus ascended on invitation. And the transformation has been so great where the event itself is one of three events that is new international calendar. So in essence, it's the newest event, because the other two has been there before and left and came back. So the classic is the newest event that has been added to international cycling calendar. But as a race director, does that put any sort of pressure on you? Because now you have everybody, their eyes are on you. And of course, this competition, everybody's they want to be a part of it. That means you need to do even more work. I mean, it's it's it's work intensive. Yes, but I think we have a good management team around it. Yeah, tell us about work overtime. I mean, the GenSec, if my captain run the run Lindsay, he has been working overtime in terms of sending out the requests is sending out the letters, responding to everybody. I mean, on a hero who is a star with digital, she plays a very integral role as well. The treasurer, he's multitasking. I mean, Donald K. Sharp, who is from the JCF, the Cycling Federation, she also plays a big role in terms of even getting the ratification, because she's the one who did application for us from the Federation side. So we have a good group of people that is doing the work. And I'm just putting the pieces together. I would suspect that part of the attraction for an event like this, Carlton, is not only the scenic route on on Jamaica's North Coast, but there are parts of the world who are still experiencing right here in March, wintery conditions, places like Canada and so on. And I think a lot of the writers would enjoy being in some bright sunshine for this event. It does. And I mean, even looking ahead, I think we're going to see, you know, teams coming to Jamaica to set up pre-season camps. Yes, training camps. Before the event. And have an event to do, which gives qualification points and good racing to test where they are in their training before moving on. So I think it speaks volume to the whole gamma of the cycling, you know. I see that you have some trinities coming in. I know that, well, Nicholas Paul is probably the Caribbean's foremost cyclist at the moment, but he's a track competitor. But Campbell and others are road racers. Are some of these top trinities listed here? Because I know they had some UCI events in this month. So I'm not sure if they were available for this classic. I think Campbell will be at the Panam Track Championships because he's still in the Olympic qualification and set up and mode. But a lot today on the 23, an elite, younger elite riders, road riders will be coming from Trinidad to be a part of these composite teams that I'm telling you about. It speaks volume for the region because again, it gives them a platform to present themselves. Because one of the good things is that the more we get international teams coming to Jamaica and to the region, it will get and give the athletes in the region a better looking from these guys. Hey, we need to contract this youngster here. He looks like somebody that can fit in our program. So I think in that way it will help big time for our riders in the region. All right, Carlton, great to have you setting the stage for this event. It happens from the 5th to the 7th of April. So we're less than two weeks away from this event and I know that you are fine tuning some of the confirmed entries and so on. So we look forward to speaking with you over the coming days to confirm all the riders that will be coming in. But as we said, it's an international event and there are a lot of riders coming from the rest of the region as well. Guyana Trinidad and Tobago Barbados, the Cayman Islands and so on. So Carlton, thanks again. We'll be back with more of the Sportsmax zone after this.