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Cross Country Champ Justin Williams, In His Blood
posted (April 7, 2015)
But we did speak to Justin Williams - the winner of the 87th. Holy Saturday Cross Country Cycling Classic. Justin is the elder son of Callyman Williams - a former rider well known in the cycling community. But Justin's family tree also goes way back into cycling history with the Miguel's - the most storied cycling dynasty in Cross Country history. Today we spoke to him about that family history and how it led him to the line on Saturday:..

Justin Williams, Cross Country Champion
"We grew up in a Belize community in LA, so every is always talking about it. My dad who brought us out here when we were kids. One of my first memory as a kid we being in Belize on my Uncle Dwight's motorcycle. We've been out here a lot and the culture us just embedded in us. When people ask how does it feel to be a Belizean? We don't know any different. We are Belizeans - that's the way we grew up. Our dad always doing the cross country and us always hearing about the cross country - our uncle always winning the cross country. People always coming at our house on Sundays after long rides. We use to have barbeques at our house after long rides and all our uncles and my dad friends arguing about who won this and won that - it's just something we grew up with."

Jules Vasquez
"Your father has always been a part of the cycling fraternity and the family here in Belize. But, he has never won a cross country. Was he sort of living vicariously through you guys?"

Justin Williams, Cross Country Champion
"No. Not at all. He didn't even wanted us to ride. For the longest time he was like no, you guys don't need to ride. He would tell me that I am too soft to ride. I know he is proud because we have one in the family. I think that what's important. It's a lot of pride."

"Sometimes I know Corey was racing for me, but at the same time we race for the pride of our family - our dad, our uncles, our mom - that's why we are racing - for the people. We came here and like I was telling Corey, I felt like everyone was my family when I was taking pictures after race."

Justin Williams has been riding in Belize since he was a 14 year old in the junior cross country. And so he is familiar with the race and the road - but his younger brother Cory wasn't ready to deal with the sometimes rough conditions that can precede the cross country. When he agreed to come and ride the cross country - he asked his uncle to set up a proper situation for him as a professional rider. They explained how that translated to dominance on Saturday:..

Justin Williams, Cross Country Champion
"My Uncle Fred just make it happen. He got us a nice place to stay with air conditioning, he got us a chef that cooked for us every day and those are the things you need to be successful. You need that environment where you don't have to worry about anything, but winning the race. We had everything we needed to get to the race in the condition we wanted to be and then when we got into the race, we just wanted to put two guys in the break and luckily we put us two in the break."

Cory Williams, 5th - Cross Country 2015
"It was me and Justin in the break. When you get somebody that's going to be dedicated to helping that other person wins, it's really dangerous."

Justin Williams, Cross Country Champion
"Because then it's an all effort. There is no sitting up, there is no waiting. Every time the race would sit up at some point, Corey would get to the front. So, the race is constantly moving. We also didn't fought for any station prizes - everybody could take them. We are here for the win. We are not here for station prizes. So, I think with that in mind, everyone in the break just like did their work."

Jules Vasquez
"As you are heading into the city, you just pass through the cemetery, you reached on to Central American Boulevard, you are turning and fans are there, the crowd is there and the hype begins. At this point it's undecided. You don't know who is going to win. How do you feel in that moment?"

Justin Williams, Cross Country Champion
"Electric. It felt like nothing else I have experienced. It was overwhelming almost. My heart rate went up and I had to like kind of try to block out. You enjoyed it for a little bit, because it comes as a wave and then you have to block it out, because if you ride with the crowd, you are going to do something that isn't in the game plan or you would do something that you get excited about."

Cory Williams, 5th - Cross Country 2015
"I got into the cemetery I couldn't help myself but smile. I saw all the people on the side of the road really loud, I was dying. But I felt certain that we were going to win, because I knew they couldn't beat Justin. I had them sitting out all day - I was doing all the work."

Justin Williams, Cross Country Champion
"And then we got maybe in the last 500 meters and everything started like becoming real. I just knew I had won at that point, because sprinting is what I do - that's what I am the best at. So, Scotty Weiss went early to try to catch me off guard. I just like let him, built up the speed, got in his draft and then I know it was over. He was looking down, looking back, looking for anything. But I was already there and then as soon as he sat down I just went to ride around him. I didn't wanted to give him any chance to breathe or anything. I started sprinting early and I was like probably keep peddling pass the line, but I know I had won so much. Everybody screaming and the crowd got loud when I came around, because they knew I was going to win and I knew I was going to win. It's just like crazy. Then after I won the race and I cross the line, then like all of that like "cold seed" - everything comes in. Then when I turned around and stop and people running towards me, then it's started to sink in. It still didn't sinked in completely. Even though when I got on the stage, it still wasn't all there and then like probably today, was the first day we were like, we did it. We brought it home. We really did it."

And so while they have Belizean roots and bona-fides that run deep - still, some question whether the garland really stayed at home and whether this should be legitimately called a Belizean victory since they live and train in the USA. The Los Angelinos said they are all- Belizean:...

Justin Williams, Cross Country Champion
"That just don't make any sense to me. I don't know how you are not going to be Belizean. It's like I didn't grow up surfing. I don't really know what American is. What is American culture? Because all I know that American culture is, is just taking from other cultures. I know that I am Belizean. I know that when I think of where I am from, I think of Belize and that's been since I was little. I have a Belizean flag in my room. So, it just don't make any sense and I just think it's just people that have negative things to say and just want people to hear - they are just being controversial, which is fine. We don't care about that. That don't affect us. That's not going to stop us from coming. That's not going to stop us from winning. That's not going to stop me from going to the Olympics with Belize. If they like it or not, we are here to stay. Eventually, they are going to either jump onboard or not jump onboard. That's not really our focus or our problem."

Cory Williams, 5th - Cross Country 2015
"Jump onboard or jump off ship."

Justin Williams, Cross Country Champion
"It's one of those thing we've been hearing in creole since we were little. So like we understand it. We think in creole. Just because we went to school in America..."

Cory Williams, 5th - Cross Country 2015
"The funny thing is, we say something in American words wrong. We learn how to speak..."

Justin Williams, Cross Country Champion
"So like all our American friends is like dude, you sound really weird when you talk. But out here they say dude you guys sound really weird when you talk - so, it's like lose-lose. There is no in-between for us."

Justin Williams says his dream is to ride the Tour De France with the Belize flag on his jersey. He has ridden all over the world including Qatar, Oman and the under 23 Paris Roubaix.





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