Sports
Jonathan Ramnanansingh
TRIALS for cyclists vying for spots on Trinidad and Tobago’s 2026 Pan American Track Cycling Championships team will proceed as planned on January 17 at the National Cycling Velodrome in Balmain, Couva.
This was confirmed by TT Cycling Federation (TTCF) president Rowena Williams on November 18, following an emergency general council meeting held one day earlier.
Williams said the meeting was convened to settle concerns raised over the timing of the trials and to determine whether they should continue as scheduled.
“The meeting was called to bring a resolution to the issue,” she said. “Recommendations were put forward, whether we should carry on with the trials or not, in fairness to all cyclists.” The meeting followed a formal request from two clubs—JLD Cycling Academy and Heatwave Cycling—calling on the federation to review its January 17 date. Through attorney Emir Crowne, the clubs said that the scheduled trials breach the federation’s own selection policy.
The policy says trials must be held at least 12 weeks before any international event, with selections also made within that window to allow enough time for registration, funding and travel arrangements.
With the Pan American Championships beginning on February 16, the latest permissible date for trials would have been November 24.
Despite this, the TTCF announced on November 10, that trials will take place on January 17, and that the event will be mandatory for elite and under-23 riders.
The Pan Am Champs, set for February 16-22 in Santiago, Chile, is usually held in April. However, the federation received confirmation of the date change from the International Cycling Union in June.
The clubs told the federation it had ample notice of the event’s earlier date to host the trials consistent with its selection policy. Their statement said that since the January 17 date ran “contrary to a long-established selection policy,” it would also affect international riders during their training block.
As a result, “The clubs propose that the federation exercise its discretion to select the riders for the Pan American Track Cycling Championships using objective and recent results. Stats don’t lie.”
In the letter, Crowne also highlighted the quality of cyclists affected by the January 17 date. He said the federation “would be remiss” not to acknowledge that TT has several riders ranked inside the world’s top 30 in their events. These include Njisane Phillip (23rd), Alexi Ramirez (23rd) and Makaira Wallace (26th).
He warned that their preparation and “overall satisfaction with the federation” should not be put at risk, adding, “You don’t sabotage your best.”
He also pointed out that the selection policy gives the federation room to act in unusual situations. The clubs believe this is such a case. Crowne again urged the TTCF to use “objective and recent results” when choosing riders for Chile.
Williams, however, confirmed the council’s vote stands for a January 17 Pan Am Champs trial event, and that all cyclists are welcome to participate for national team selection.
