New Years Day Cycle Race

ABOVE: Elite division riders on the Northern Highway just past Orange Walk Town.

The 15th. edition of the Belize KREM New Years Day Bicycle Racing Classic had three distinct races for the first time and a change in the course for Elite and Masters Categories. In previous years the Elite/Masters race started in Corozal Town while the Female and Junior races started in front of the town hall in Orange Walk Town. All three races ended at the junction of Mahogany Street and Central American Boulevard near the CivicCenter in Belize City.

The Elite/Masters race began about 9:15 am from in front of the Corozal free Zone near the Mexican border, the Junior Race (under 18) race began in front of the Orange Walk Town Hall at 9:45 am and the Female race began at 10:15 am at the Crooked Tree Junction on the Northern Highway.

The female race finished first with Marinette Flowers of Team Santinos taking first place, a newcomer riding on Team Bowman taking second place and Emelita Knowles of Team Guiness/Smiling placing third. Radio coverage for this race was intermittent and no highlights were broadcasted.

The Junior Race was the second to finish and again the radio coverage was intermittent but this was by the far the most exciting of the three races. Three miles into the race 13 year old Peter Choto riding for Western Sunrise ( a new team which consisted of three Choto brothers who broke away from Western Spirits Cayo Team three days before the race) launched a surprise
attack and was allowed to go because all eyes were on the pre race favourite, older brother Giovanni Choto.

ABOVE: Female division riders as they depart Crooked Tree.

Young Peter opened a half mile gap and seemed intent on riding the whole race alone. An early problem developed struck just before the Crooked Tree Junction when Peter Choto suffered a flat and because the new team did not have a proper service team in place he was caught and
passed by the peloton before he could get a replacement wheel. Apparently someone forgot to tell the 13 year old that he was not supposed to be a factor in the race. After getting his wheel Peter chased down the peloton and tolerated them until around the Ladyville area where he again attacked and left the main peloton behind. Again he was allowed to go because all
eyes were on older brother Giovanni. Peter decided that he was strong enough to go the distance solo and doing a steady 23mph pace he kept increasing the gap until he had a one mile lead by the time he passed Brodies on the Northern Highway. Young Choto crossed the line solo more than 3 minutes before second place finisher Calman Williams Junior (Belizean riding out of
L.A.) and pre race favourite Giovanni Choto took third place.

In the Elite/Masters category the radio coverage was constant and there were a few highlights. Only Team Santino officially registered two Guatemalans to ride for his team but there were other foreigners from U.S. of A, Mexico and a Scotsman of Belizean ancestry. The first highlight was the sprint for the $1000.00 station prize at One Stop Shell in Orange Walk town which was taken by Ernest "Jawmeighan" Meighan of Team Santino's. The peloton pretty much
stayed together with the big teams watching and marking one another. Team Santino's had the strength but made some errors serious enough to cost them the race. The most serious error was committed around mile 40 where a 12 man break away managed to open a 2 minute lead on the Peloton. Santino's had 5 men in that 12 man break and for some reason allowed the peloton to catch the break. It was downhill for Team santino's from there on and around Ladyville Michael "Big Wire" Lewis - a former Cross Country Champion- formed an unlikely alliance with Shane Vasquez of Western Spirits (Cayo) Team which was badly weakened by the defection of the Choto brothers. Lewis and Vasquez worked together rotating a cruel 27mph pace and opened a 1 minute gap which they maintained all the way to Belize City.

Caught with their pants down Team Santino and Team Smiling watched one another each hoping that the other would organize a chase. When the duo maintained the 1 minute gap up to Haulover Bridge the cycling pundits knew that that was all she would write. Not surprisingly Big Mike outsprinted Shane to take first place and Shane took second. Ian Smith of Guiness Smiling separated himself from the main peloton in front of the Biltmore and tried to catch the front runners but his efforts were in vain and he had to settle for third place. The moral of the
story must be that with all the big money behind the Smiling and Santino Teams it is still possible for unattached (independent) riders to work together to defeat the behemoths. And so it was that Michael "Big Wire" Lewis riding on his own and Shane Vasquez riding on a two man team joined forces to defeat the big boys. Perhaps, just perhaps this will be a lesson for our local riders when they line up with the foreigners for the "Big One" the annual Belize Cross Country Classic on Holy Saturday March 26, 2005.

Article courtesy of Alvaro Rosado.

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