We will rise again

Fire destroys MoBay cycling club

Adrian Frater, News Editor

WESTERN BUREAU:After witnessing the fiery destruction of his bicycle repair shop last Sunday morning, former national cycling champion, Winston 'Mawga' Virgo, has no plans to wallow in self-pity. Like a phoenix, he is ready to rise from the ashes.

Prior to the fire, Virgo's popular bicycle repair shop, located on Church Street, downtown Montego Bay, served as a repair and supply shop for top-flight cyclists in western Jamaica, as well as the home of the renowned 40-member strong Breakaway Cycling Club.

"This is a major setback," said Virgo. "But slowly and surely we will rise again from this disaster. We will emerge stronger for it, with a renewed vigour and hope for a brighter future at Breakaway Cycling Club."

The fire, which started shortly after 11 a.m, completely gutted the building - primarily a wooden structure - leaving over J$3.5 million in damage.

"We lost approximately 80 bicycles, among other things," said Virgo. "While we specialise in bicycle repairs, we had new bicycles in stock for sales as well as bicycle frames and other spare parts."

Already rebuilding

While the cyclists attached to Breakaway Club are now without a home and a meeting place, the confident Virgo says it won't be for long. In fact, within 48 hours of the fire, he was already clearing away the rubble, setting the stage for the rebuilding of both his business and the cycling club.

"We have already begun doing some work," said Virgo. "We are now clearing away the debris as our plan is to start the rebuilding so as to put this bad experience behind us as quickly as possible."

Virgo, who has made a career out of repairing, assembling and supplying bicycle parts - since retiring from professional cycling - said, thanks to the generous assistance he has been getting since the fire, he is quite optimistic going forward.

"Thanks to some of the persons who are seeking to assist us, we already have some materials needed for the reconstruction," said Virgo. "As the news continues to spread, more and more persons are calling to find out how they can help."

The cycling club, which Virgo was instrumental in forming, started out in 1982 as the Montego Bay Cycling Club. Two years later, the name was changed to Western Wheelers, but it was again rebranded in 2008 as the Breakaway Cycling Club.

"This is a foundation cycling club in western Jamaica," said Virgo, who takes pride in sharing his vast experience with the new generation of cyclists in the west. "All the top cyclists in St James started their careers right here."

Among the cyclists to have emerged from the Breakaway Cycling Club are Olympians Kenneth 'Blacka' Kerr, Raymond Thomas, Gareth Young, Mark Collins, Jamar Brissett, national junior cyclist Lionel Stewart and 2008 Montego Bay Bikeathon champion Ricardo Kerr.

"We will rise again," said the confident Virgo. "We know that the Breakaway Cycling Club will continue to produce stars for the future."