by PHILIP SPOONER BARRY FORDE, the fastest man on two wheels in the Western Hemisphere, enters 2006 down the pecking order in the two events he competes in on the international cycling circuits. Late last year, it was circulated that the 29-year-old world-rated rider was No.1 in the keirin and among the Top 5 in the sprint after some impressive performance on the European circuit. In the latest ranking published by the International Cycling Union (UCI), Forde was listed at No.8 in the keirin and No.13 in the sprint. The information is available on the UCI's website - uci.ch - and was last updated on December 27. According to the website, Forde has accumulated 194 points in the keirin and 224 in the sprint. The leader in the keirin is Andrei Vynokurov of the Ukraine, while German Stefan Nimke leads in the sprint with 380 points. Bitter-sweet year It has been a bitter-sweet year for Forde. He was heavily tipped to be named Sports Personality Of The Year, but did not capture the prestigious award. He is tied up in an investigation over a high level of testosterone following a UCI test in France two months ago. The Barbados Cycling Union has been conducting investigations since late November. On the track Forde won the region's first medal at the World Championships when he took a sliver in the keirin, in California, in March. A month later, he was first in both the keirin and the sprint at the Pan American Championships in Argentina. *philipspooner @nationnews.com
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