7 News Belize

Cross Country Hopes Dashed, Sober Lessons For Local Cyclists
posted (April 22, 2014)
The 86th. Cross Country, would a Belizean win it? Would the cycling gods be so kind? Well, looking at it statistically, probably not, considering that Belizean riders won in 2012 and 2013. But, in the heart and mind of even the casual cycling fan - if he or she is a patriot - a Belizean just had to win it! Except this year they didn't. Defending Champion Darnell Barrow had high hopes on his shoulders, as did National Road Champion Byron Pope. But hope can only go so far on the highway when 22 top foreign cyclists are trying to snipe at the crown jewel of Belizean sport. Here's how it played out on the road:..

Jules Vasquez reporting
This year sign-in and bike check for the 109 riders in the 86TH Holy Saturday Cycling Classic started from 4:00 am, in front of the BTL Park.

his year, the cyclists wore a black bow in memory of Ernest Dangalang Thurton and by extension all fallen members of the cycling family.

Defending champion Darnell Barrow and National Road Champion of Belize Byron Pope took their positions at the front of the lineup.

And at 5:50 - they were off - the defending champion on his phone - for the ceremonial ride, called a lead-out - which would take them through the city. The red flag denotes to the riders that the race has not started yet.

It was a chance for the riders to ease their nerves - something like a soft start to the day - and a chance for the fans to see the cyclists not at race speed.

At Leslie's Imports, the white line marks the official start - a flying start as they call it - and they're off. First to make a significant move near CISCO was the 2012 champion Giovanni Choto of C-Ray Road Addicts.

With fresh legs, he set a blistering pace, over 25 miles an hour - alone at the front. Behind him, everyone else - 11 Mexicans, 7 Americans, 2 Guatemalans, 1 Jamaican American, and 1 Spaniard - a total of 22 foreign riders and 87 Belizeans, for the 109 riders each with a garland hope however faint.

They were not chasing, knowing that they had over 130 miles still to go. For Choto he knew that in 2012, he ran for 133 miles - not all of it solo - but enough to give him confidence this year.

At Hattieville, Giovanni Choto still flying solo easily takes the station prize. And just about a minute later, there's the chase, the pace accelerated now, and whipping past our camera with a collective roar.

As we approach Rockville, the first major chase group is formed, it features Giovanni's brother Raphael Choto, David Henderson Jr. Florencio Ramos and Jaun Pablo Magallanes.

At Rockville Giovanni Choto still enjoys a 48 second lead, but the chase group of four are now closing in. By the time we reach mile 25, Giovanni Choto has been caught, so the breakaway is now five riders heading into a cross wind.

While flag bearing fans tried to keep up with them. At mile 36, it's Giovanni and Rafael Choto of C-RAY, David Henderson Jr. and Juan Pablo Magallanes of Benny's Megabytes and Florencio Ramos of team Predators Belize and then there is the main bunch of riders led by American Scotty Weiss - still keeping it together.

Heading into Belmopan, David Henderson sprints for the prize at Guanacaste. When we catch up with the leaders again near dead man curve at mile 56, they are only two - a pair of Mexicans who have separated themselves, Juan Pablo Magallenes and Florencio Ramos.

The pair are familiar with the race: Magallenes finished second last year riding for Benny's and Ramos rode for C-Ray last year, famously dropping out of the breakaway for Brandon Cattouse.

Some two minutes back there is a 13 man chase group that includes Joel Borland, Giovanni Choto, Chris Harkey, Hector Hugo Rangel, Quinton Hamilton, David Henderson Jr, David Santos, Richard Santiago, Alejandro Miranda, and AJ Meyers.

At Mount Hope, the leaders are well ahead; Florencio Ramos takes the prize while the chase group is being led by two-time champion Chris Harkey.

At Central Farm, Magallanes takes the prize. But the two are definitely working together. At the halfway point in San Ignacio, the fans have been lined up for hours to see this, the first two figures over the bridge, not quite what they might have hoped for - the two Mexicans, but the leaders nonetheless.

All those lined up in the town center, would wait another two and a half minutes to see team Telemedia's Joel Borland come across the bridge, followed by 12 riders making the turnaround Columbus Park to the sound of noisemakers, cheering and applause.

It would be another three minutes before the main bunch wound around the park, a symphony of colour and noise. When we catch back up with the leaders, they are at Brick Wall, rounding the corner all alone, hardly labouring and making light work of the incline.

The chase group that was 12 is now down to 6 - and the missing 6 are all Belizeans. Those still there are Chris Harkey, Hector Hugo Rangel, the Miranda Brothers, AJ Meyers and David Santos. Some two minutes behind the closes Belizeans are Richard Santiago, Joel Borland, Giovanni Choto and Quinton Hamilton.

At Guanacaste Park, the two Mexican leaders don't even have to fight for the station prize, but now the chase group of 6 is closing in - again, all foreign riders.

Around mile 40, on a rain slicked road, the two leaders are showing signs of fatigue - stretching their backs - but still keeping on the pace.

By the time the race reaches around mile 31, the two leaders have been caught, and now another Mexican riding for Benny's Megabytes, Hector Hugo Rangel has embarked on a solo flight. If you are wondering who he is, the last time he was here was the Cross Country of 2010 when riding for Team Santino's, he attempted to pace Gregory Lovell from mile 35 to the finish line. He failed that time, but on this Holy Saturday, unaccompanied and out front, he was hoping for a different outcome.

With over a hundred miles on him, Rangel bathed himself and still looked fresh and had boosted himself into a comfortable lead over the five all foreign chasers.

Rangel at this time is being pursued by Alejandro Miranda, Florencio Ramos, David Santos, and sitting in, Magallanes. In the meantime, Hector Hugo Rangel drives on - showing fatigue now, and only 37 seconds ahead of the nearest chase - but five thousand dollars richer after claiming the prize at RJB Construction.

And by mile 7, they have him in their crosshairs, the once distant figure on the horizon now being closed in by the chase, after about 30 miles of running.

Heading into the Burdon Canal Bridge, Rangel falls to the back and Magallanes is back at the front, on the pace. Around Old Belize Magallanes attacks, and only Ramos and Miranda can hang on while Rangel and Santos got dropped.

Heading into the City, passing Leslie's Imports it is two Mexicans and a Guatemalan. They stayed together coming into the city - to the sight of disappointed fans who lined the streets.

They three stayed together heading into Freetown Road but near ITVET - they were caught by Rangel and Santos - at the finish line, those five sprinted for it, and Juan Pablo Magallanes of Team Benny's Megabytes came out as the winner of the 86th Cross Country followed by four foreign riders Alejandro Miranda, Ramos, Rangel and Santos.

And then 40 seconds later, two more foreigners Julio Miranda, Scottie Weiss and finally the first Belizean finished eighth Marlon Castillo for team Telemedia.

Though a Mexican won, he rode for a Belizean team - one which finally can claim a garland.

Perry Gibson, Manager - Team Megabytes
"That we were able to win means everything to us. In the end the most important thing is to win. This is the only race that we have not won since we have been in cycling and to finally get it means everything in the world."

Daniel Ortiz
"Would you have preferred one of your Belizean riders to win?"

Perry Gibson, Manager - Team Megabytes
"Two years ago we rode exclusively for Byron and we lost the race because of the way it played out. Today we weren't going to go down that road, Byron would have had to been there to have basically given the opportunity - he had to create his own opportunity, that's what I am saying and unfortunately it didn't play out that way."

Alejandro Padilla (Miranda), 2nd Place - Team SMART (Guat)
"I don't like to talk bad about Belizeans; you guys have really good riders here. The problem they have is their mentality - they want to be taken to the finish and that won't happen in every and in any race. Wherever you go you have to ride. If you want to make it to the end you have to ride."

Greg Lovell, 10th - Team BTL
"We just sit down and try to conserve our energy with the other guys that are capable of winning the race and what happen is the foreigners start to work really hard and went in the early breaks, really strong guys, high caliber cyclists that have the capability that can run the race the entire way going and coming back and we realize that we were in trouble when we reach Roaring Creek. The American team start to chase, but we realize that we were all in trouble. It was hard to close in the gap."

Alejandro Padilla (Miranda), 2nd Place - Team SMART (Guat)
"We use to the race coming back. The race is won coming back but when you have that many guys going up the road with the legs to do it, you can't hesitate, you got to go."

Greg Lovell, 10th - Team BTL
"What happen is that the managers of the other bigger teams they bring the foreigners to win because I know they don't have confidence in their Belizean cyclist that can win the race, so they want to match-up and when the other teams brings in good foreigners the other teams want to do the same so that they can have a level of competition in the race. Their goal is to win the race even it's not a Belizean. At the end of the day it's their team that won and that's what happens."

Juan Pablo Magallanes, 1st Place - Benny's Megabytes (Mex)
"It's a country that has good riders, their shortfall is not going abroad to get a feel for the pace needed in international races. But they are very good riders here."

Magallanes won the $6,000 dollar first prize, and 3-time Cross country champion Kenrick Halliday presented him with the winner's garland of roses from Florasol. Magallanes also won eight trophies: from Digicell, the Elston Kerr Cup, the Jeffery O'brien family, the Altreith Smith family, Ludrick "Buno" Smith memorial, the Green family of Los Angeles, the Donald Matura family and the Norman Ashford Gillett trophy. He also won a $400 shopping spree at Mirage, a return ticket to the USA from United Airlines, a return ticket from Maya Island Air, a bull from Cuello's Distillery, a two night stay at Barrier Reef Lodge in San Pedro and a weekend's stay for two at Captain Morgan's Retreat in San Pedro, $250 from LC Distributors and an MP4 player from Go Wireless. He finished the race in 5 hours 45 minutes, five minutes slower than the record pace set in 2009.

If you want just a little more cycling, stay tuned at the end of the news, when the second place finisher, Alejandro Padilla Miranda explains how the closing minutes played out as a cat and mouse game.

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