Emerging cyclist Denver Alphonse Jr. of Saint Lucia commenced his campaign at the Continental Pan-American Championships in Montería, Colombia on Thursday, March 19th. The young athlete participated in the demanding Men’s Under-23 Individual Time Trial, a 36-kilometer race on a flat terrain circuit. Alphonse secured a 14th place finish in a competitive field of 18 riders, demonstrating notable progress on the international stage.
Representing the English-speaking Caribbean alongside Jadian Neaves of Trinidad & Tobago (13th place), Alphonse outperformed competitors from Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Despite being one of the youngest participants, he completed the course with a time of 51 minutes and 48 seconds, finishing 9 minutes and 46 seconds behind gold medalist Sebastián Ruiz of Mexico. The podium was completed by another Mexican cyclist, José Juan Prieto (silver), and Colombian Jerónimo Calderón (bronze, 43:10).
Coach John Mangal, who has been mentoring Alphonse, provided insights to St Lucia Times regarding his protégé’s performance. Mangal highlighted significant improvements in the Dennery native’s capabilities, noting his average speed of 42.2 kilometers per hour represented measurable progress, though still requiring substantial development to compete with top contenders.
Mangal emphasized that the flat course configuration didn’t align with Alphonse’s current strengths, explaining: “The time trial was on a flat course. Not his strength on the flats. They are working on him to gain more muscle mass and weight to improve his body-to-weight ratio. It will take some time to get it up, so it translates to more power and the ability to push more watts.”
The Entrepot Secondary School graduate now prepares for his next challenge—a 160-kilometer road race on Saturday where he will compete against 74 elite cyclists, providing another opportunity to showcase his developing talent.