Chilean is winner of M&M Tour of Belize
Good evening I’m James Adderley and we’re back with another portion of Sports Monday. Stage five of the M&M Tour of Belize roared off at the usual nine a.m. U.C.I. start Saturday from Benque Viejo headed to Dangriga for the hundred fourteen miles of cycling that would finish at the gap on its way back from Dangriga, featuring only ninety-six riders of the hundred and twenty that started on day one. After the threat laid down by the two time U.C.I. champion Michael Olheiser of Herring Gas, the Tecos Team of Mexico took charge early in an effort to protect their yellow shirted Carlos Oyarzun. Coming out of Santa Elena, Red Bull’s Mateo Cruz opts to run but by the time the race reaches King of the Mountain Premie at Central Farm the green shirted Manuel Rodas of Cable DX, Guatemala has replaced him for the lead. Chris Barton of the U.S. National under twenty-three team then steps out around Blue Hole to win that K.O.M. Premie. However shortly after that it’s Manuel Rodas of Cable DX who executes the first real breakaway to go on a solo flight. And here he is at the turn around point is Dangriga still in command of the race. But now he is being pursued by Chris Barton, Michael Olheiser and Lisandro Ajou. Nevertheless, it’s Chris Barton who assumes the lead when the race rolls past Pomona. Still, it’s a brand new ballgame some three mile from the finish line atop gap. At tape time it’s Lisandro Ajou with the stage win for Santino’s. And can you believe it, Carlos Oyarzun of Team Tecos rolling in for second while Luciano Santos of Santino’s rounds out the top three finishers from stage five. Of course, Carlos Oyarzun of Tecos still holds the yellow shirt at the end of stage five, the red shirted Luciano Santos of Santino’s is forty-one seconds off the pace, Lisandro Ajou is three minutes, forty-five seconds behind in third place but he has the King of the Mountain jersey while Jose Choto still owns the blue for best Belizean in ninth place with four minutes, fifty-two seconds to make up.
So we go to the final stage—stage six—which runs from San Ignacio to Benque Viejo and swings back to Belize City covering some ninety miles. On the way back from Benque Viejo, Michael Norton of Calyon Pro Cycling Team and Shane Vasquez of Western Spirits, who has been pretty quiet this tour, make a run for it and here they are existing the historic Hawkesworth Bridge inside San Ignacio. They’re reeled in at Central Farm when they are swarmed by the pack to create a new configuration. Passing the Belmopan junction, the pelathon remains pretty much compacted on their way to Belize City. Until this trio of Walter Gaiton from the Nicaragua/Honduras team, Carlos Hernandez of Benny’s Megabytes and Ryan Bordeaux of Herrin Gas Team up to run. Outside of Hattieville there’s a new wrinkle as some thirty riders are now bunched up for the home stretch. Around mile four we find these two riders in command, having busted out of the pack and it’s this duo of Chris Barton and Ernest Meighan in the driver’s seat people. This duo maintains their lead down Central American Boulevard as they enter Belize City and they maintain that lead going to the tape with Ernest Meighan never looking to pace. Even when the first of the two required laps begins, thirty-six year old Jaw Meighan never challenges the under twenty-three U.S. rider until of course, money time and he surprises the youngster by stepping out big time to grab the stage win, thereby becoming the only Belizean to win a stage in this M&M Tour 2008, despite finishing thirty-two minutes, thirty-one seconds behind the overall winner. Cole House of the U.S. National Team takes third, Luis Gutierrez of Tecos is next and Mauricio Frazer of Santino’s rounds out the top five. And yes, Carlos Oyarzun of Team Tecos who finishes tenth in the stage six raises his hands knowing full well he had done enough to grab the title. Ernest Meighan, who gave Belize its only stage win in the sixth M&M Tour is contemplating retirement.
Ernest Meighan, Team Santino’s
“I done talk to my sponsor, Mr. Santino and I tell him it’s about time for me to retire. I done mek up my mind that I’m gonna retire in June. This win, it’s a big win for me knowing that I’m gonna retire June and I done talk to him and James, I’ve been riding for like twenty-one years and I’m the only top rider who haven’t gotten a rest from off the bike and if I do retire, I think I’m gonna take a year off the bike and relax and just think and come back another year solid.”
Jose Choto finished tenth, six minutes, thirty-one seconds behind the winner, the only Belizean in the top twenty. He had bicycle problems.
Jose Choto, Team Tequila Afamado
“I neva had bad luck through none a the stage them and today, unfortunately, my chain burst when I mi eena the break away by mile twenty-five and I change bike with my own lee bredda weh da from my own team so dat da no wah problem. But I think I lose some time and maybe I drop outta the top ten but I still satisfied with the performance and the support weh we get from the team because the team help we a lot.”
Of course, Carlos Oyarzun of Team Tecos finishes the five hundred and three mile course in a total race time of sixteen hours, forty-one minutes and fifty-six seconds and he never relinquished the yellow jersey after capturing it in stage from Marlon Castillo of Belize, who hurt his chances in stage three by changing bicycles with a non-team member.
Carlos Oyarzun, Winner, M&M Tour of Belize 2008
“The last ten miles were a bit difficult since I suffered a spill but everything turned out well. My team was superior to the other teams. I’m very excited since this is the first time I’m riding with a professional team. There are no words to describe how happy I am about my triumph.”
The best under twenty-three rider from this tour hails from Santino’s; the Argentinean Luciano Santos. Two time U.C.I. World Champion Michael Olheiser took home the polka dot jersey for mountain climbing in this tour. The sprinters green went to Manuel Rodas from Cable DX of Guatemala and Team Santino emerged the best team inside the sixth M&M Tour with a total team time of fifty hours, twelve minutes, forty-seven seconds.
James Adderley
“Roque, looking at the many headaches you had, if I were you I wouldn’t do it. Why do you do it?”
Rogue Matus, Organiser and Founder, M&M Tour of Belize
“Well, I have an overall goal to put Belize on the world map in cycling. I think that our riders—our few riders that we had in the tour, we didn’t have a lot comparing to foreigners—accounted for themselves well. They were attacking, they were trying—as a matter of fact, if Marlon didn’t have his unfortunate change with another team, we would have had two stage wins which shows that you are competing. The G.C., we didn’t get any guys up there. I think our guys still lack the experience of racing tours and reading the race. It’s not that they are not strong, they just didn’t read the race the first day.”
I tell you folks, the M&M Tour has gone extra large and real international and it will get even bigger with more support from the Belizean public.
Turning to the football scene, the B.P.F.L. playoffs kicked off at the M.C.C. Grounds yesterday as F.C. Belize hosted Wagiya of Dangriga in the opening match of Double Round Robin format featuring four teams. The city team looks to open the scoreboard quickly with the header from Jeromy James who fails to hit the target. Meanwhile, the Griga keeper should tax his defensive wall for ducking from this spotkick by Vallan Simms that almost cost them a goal. However, there is no dodging the reality when Jeromy James launches this wicked left foot splice that tangles in the net to give F.C. Belize a 1-zip lead twenty-two minutes into the ballgame. In the second half Wagiya finally gets going and this header from the corner kick forces the F.C. keeper into a miscue but he gets bailed out by his defense. It’s Wagiya again on the attack and indeed Edwin Fernandez should have done better with this chance from point blank range. At the other end Cristobal Gilharry tries to double the F.C. lead with this right foot shot but it’s straight at the keeper. In the meantime folks, Edwin Fernandez fires this good looking shot that screams across the goalmouth and indeed Jerome Archer with the slightest of touch could have provided the equalizer for Dangriga. Wagiya then goes to the set piece for more offense and while the launch from Fernandez is good, the goalkeeper intervenes successfully. Downfield Jeremy James sets table perfectly for Cristobal Gilharry who squanders a golden opportunity. F.C. Belize holds on to the 1-zip big W.
In other playoff match-up at the Norman Broaster Stadium, the B.D.F. got two late goals from Deon Flowers and Deon McCauley to bomb Hankook Verdes 2-zip. Week two schedule finds the B.D.F. facing F.C. Belize at the M.C.C. Grounds in a battle of undefeated on Sunday and Wagiya will host Hankook Verdes inside the Carl Ramos Stadium.
In news from the Super League of Belize, over the weekend, Texmar trampled Roots F.C. 6-1, Alpha Barcelona and the Belmopan Bandits battled to a 4-4 stalemate while Benque D.C. United got a forfeited 3-zip win from Barrio Fino. Looking ahead, this Wednesday at the M.C.C. Grounds Alpha Barcelona faces Roots F.C. and Benque United will host Belmopan Bandits while on Saturday at the M.C.C. Grounds Estrellas F.C. and Forever Strong Kraal Road are scheduled to complete their remaining back match to conclude regular season play in this league. The playoffs in the Super League of Belize are scheduled to bring on Saturday, first March so stay tuned. Finally folks, the Belize National Cricket Team was beaten by the Turks and Caicos Islands in the I.C.C. Americas Division three championship to crush their championship hopes but we nevertheless, say good show. We say that because the Turks and Caicos Islands took the title with a record of three wins one loss, Chile also had that same record. Belize won two, lost two, Peru went one and three and so did Brazil. Hey, life is real and we are simply satisfied with the performance by the Belize National Team in this particular outing.
That’s it for now though, we invite you back same time, same place, next week. Jah over all, I’m James Adderley.
