by Craig Cook

Sixteen-year-old Lewis Almonte (CRCA Junior Development/Metro-Sanchez) finished fourth in the season opener Spring Series round 1 in Central Park in the category 3/4 event. Fresh from the Dominican Republic National Junior Championship, Lewis was unfazed by the less than Carribbean conditions on this frigid March morning; pulling off a superlative sprint in the closing meters of the 24 mile event. Lewis, one link in the Metro Sanchez juggernaut that dominated the race, found himself in position to pick off his teammates, and backed off as he approached the line. “I had two teammates ahead of me and one directly behind. It was a pretty successful day” he said.

Lewis is one of the five key members of the CRCA Junior Development squad based in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City. The team will be racing throughout the Northeast of the United States in preparation for the US National Championships in Pennsylvania in June.

Eneas Freyre eggs on Lewis Almonte as the junior finishes up his VOMax test at Target Training earlier this February.