Gihan Pushpakumara (Team SL Army) Champion Rider
Sri Lanka’s longest Across-the-Country Cycle race organised by Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), successfully reached its final destination at Kuliyapitiya last Saturday. Gihan Pushpakumara of Team Sri Lanka Army (SLA) was overall champion of the 5-Day race, securing the 1st Prize of Rs 1 million. Prabath Madusanka of Team Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) and Viran Ramesh of Team Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) were the Overall 1st and 2nd Runners-up respectively, winning cash Prizes of Rs 500,000 and Rs 300,000.
In the Women’s race, Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) trio Dinesha Dilrukshi, Sudarika Priyadarshani and Sulochana Panchali came 1st, 2nd, 3rd to win cash Prizes of Rs 250,000, Rs. 200,000, Rs. 150,000, respectively.
G.P.I.R. Kumara won the Para-Cycling event while A.M.P.K. Attanayake and J. Udayakumara Jayalath were 1st Runner-up and 2nd Runner-up respectively.
The Men’s race flagged off from Colombo on September 4 and finished on September 8 in Kuliyapitiya, completing a 820-km journey. The Women’s race held on September 7, 8 was the first time in Sri Lanka’s Cycling history that a 2-day Colombo-Kuliyapitiya, 175-km long event had been organised for Women Cyclists. Changing the Cycling landscape of the country, the Kurunegala-Kuliyapitiya 75-km long, 1st ever Para-Cycling event was also held on September 8.
Team SLPA clinched the Men’s Overall Team award, while Team SLA and Team SLN were Overall 1st Runner-up and Overall 2nd Runner-up respectively. Viran Ramesh of Team SLPA won King of the Mountain, Madonza Avishka of Team SLPA won Best Sprinter and Prabath Madusanka of SLN won Best Young Rider.
Team SLAF Team won the Women’s Overall Best Team award, while Team SLA and Team SLN were the Overall 1st Runner-up and Overall 2nd Runner-up respectively. Team SLAF’s Dinesha Dilrukshi, Sudarika Priyadarshani and Sulochana Panchali won the Women’s Queen of the Mountain, Best Sprinter and Best Young Rider, respectively.
The winners of Day 5 of the Men’s race marking the finish line in Kuliyapitiya:
Winner- Madhushan De Silva (Team Dehiwala-Mt.Lavinia Municipal Council),
1st Runner-up- Nidush Nirantha Fernando (Team SLPA)
2nd Runner-up- Pinthu Sandaruwan (Team SLA)