The main cycle peloton as it swoops through Orange Walk Town.
The 22nd running of the KREM New Year’s Day Cycle Race took place today with the results some Belize cycle fans have always wanted – Belizeans winning the race. Like the annual Cross Country Cycle Race that takes place at Easter time, the KREM Race is international and usually visitors win handily over locals, much to the dismay of some locals of course. This year the tables were tilted every so slightly but effectively. Although not going so far as the wishes of a fringe element of the Belize cycling community to ban visitors to ensure that a national wins, the cycling authorities came up with a clever strategy. Place limits on the composition of visiting teams. For example the Mexicans were instructed to send only riders from one state. The disgusted Mexicans had enough manners not to pull out but sent a token and underpowered team. The Guatemalans and Costa Ricans were nowhere their previous levels of participation. It was an uninspiring race dampened by rain but the Belizeans won.
First place went to Belizean Giovanni Choto from Western Spirit team, with Byron Pope from Benny’s Megabytes pulling in for second place, and Peter Choto taking third place. Giovanni’s official time is 3 hours 43 minutes and 41 seconds. Pope came in 29 seconds later. In the Masters (veterans) Race, Mexican Manuel Herrera from Team Depredadores who beat out 18 other contenders for the first place. Meanwhile Belizean Kaya Cattouse upset perennial Belizean female champion Shalini Zabaneh in surprising photo finish that was decided in favor of Ms. Cattouse. Both riders had an exact race time of 3 hours 10 minutes and 20 seconds (females ride the shorter distance from Orange Town to Belize City). Ms. Zabaneh has for long been the sole female Belize rider holding the fort with a competitive spirit in that department. She now has company.
The 87 mile race from the border with Mexico in the Corozal District got underway at 9 in the morning with 68 riders participating. First prize was $2,000. dollars, airfare to the U.S., and a bull valued at $500. This year for the first time a couple of the station prizes specifically excluded visiting riders. Station prizes ranged from small cash amounts as low as $25., to livestock such as a sheep, a massage and eye exam, jewelry, cans of paint, boat rides and gym classes.
The Cattouse riders were ahead of Shalini from the starting line.
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