Mountain Bike Cross Country is weekend’s sports excitement
Good evening, I?m James Adderley and you?ve just landed aboard this monster ride we call Sports Monday. It survived a two-week postponement and a highly intensive vetting process, but by the time the first ever Mountain Bike Cross Country event rolled off from its start yesterday at Garbutt?s Gas Station in Roaring Creek, it had attracted seven teams, eighteen unattached riders, a total of fifty-six participants, and thousands of fans across this jewel.
And so the sixty-three mile journey that runs from Roaring Creek to Belmopan and heads to the Western Highway, turning at Hattieville for a ride through the Burrell Boom circuit to finish at Croc Land Farms on the Northern Highway begins amid high expectations from these recreational cyclists.
Folks, we?re not even ten minutes in this race when Sebaldo Cowo grinds his way into a five-second lead heading into the roundabout at Belmopan ? a move that would secure him all of five preemies being offered in the Belmopan area.
In fact, when entering the Western Highway, ?Rhinoman? Cowo boasts a one minute lead over a chase pelathon obviously in a state of shock.
The runaway and station prize sweep continues for Cowo all the way to mile forty-four on the Western Highway where he picks up the big five hundred dollar preemie.
In the meantime, this chase group led by Orlando Lopez and Dennis Molina is determined to reel in the surprising Sebaldo and is a move that does pay huge dividends.
However, only for Dennis Molina of Pratt?s Viper Tour gets rewarded for the effort as he becomes the only rider to reach and cross over to Sebaldo Cowo.
With a two minute lead, Molina and Cowo decide to cooperate and would do so all the way to the Hattieville Correctional Centre. And here?s that sprint for the four hundred dollar preemie and Molina has through down the gauntlet with some twenty-three miles to the tape.
Some ten miles from the finish, Molina decides to gamble on the run away and gets away momentarily, but Cowo recovers somewhat and tracks him down.
Folks, we?ve now turned off the highway for the half mile on the dirt road to the finish line and Molina still boasts a five yard lead over Cowo. For Dennis Molina there?s no looking back as he crosses the tape in three hours, fifty-eight minutes to take the title… and Dennis Molina, yes, you?re the boss today.
Sebaldo ?Rhinoman? Cowo, who gave it his all, rolls in uncontested for second place, but Cowo certainly made some money today.
Now here?s the sprint for third place; Leonard Garbutt of Viper easily beats out Tyrell Ferguson of team Impossible is Nothing, who has to settle for fourth place, while Gerald Anderson, also of team Viper, rounds out the top five.
Question
?When Rhinoman was out there alone were you worried or how did you go about making your move??
Dennis Molina, Winner, Mountain Bike Cross Country
?Well I mi worry because I know he could run by himself, so I seh I wah reach the gap and catch ah. And afterwards when I reach the gap I mi wah work with ah, so we rotate the pace and so we get weh like that.?
?Well I mi wah get away from before I get mi get away, but he mi di watch me, so I just stick in.?
Question
?And the guys covering you? They were unable to move when you move, you made that move somewhere in the forties??
Dennis Molina
?Yeah.?
Sebaldo Cowo, 2nd, Mountain Bike Cross Country
?The first time, I think it was wrist, but then I realise I di ketch cramp. But I seh I wah give it all weh I got, but that road surprise me, I run off because I couldn?t control my bike again. So when they see me lose my balance off the road, I hurry pick up back and from the time I get back, the man done deh.?
Tyrel Ferguson, 4th, Mountain Bike Cross Country
?The man (Cowo) dirt me when I haul behind ah when I ask me if I wah work and I tell them, ?no.? The man automatically mash brakes then I have to mi cut off because I done deh??
Question
?That when you went off the road??
Tyrel Ferguson
?Yeah. And from then they just pick up and pass that pace up the hill and that dah it.?
Question
?You came in with another rider in a battle for third place. He was able to take you too; tell us about that.?
Tyrel Ferguson
Turning to the football scene, week twelve of the RFG Cup Tournament found many teams making that mad dash to make the playoffs with only two matches per team remaining in the season. Here at the M.C.C. Grounds, F.C. Belize hosted the San Pedro Seahawks and it?s the city team searching for the early lead off this corner kick. Charlie Slusher pinches it out, Germin Avila comes up with the loose ball, but his launch misses the target.
The islanders counter with this centre from Elroy Kuylen intended for David Trapp, who can?t catch up with the pace.
On this press, the Seahawks think they?ve earned themselves a penalty, but the referee apparently doesn?t see the foul committed by Mark Sambula.
Christopher Hendricks then does the hard work to earn a shot at goal, but he tarries a millisecond too long to destroy that opportunity.
At the other end, Rudolph Flowers deals into the danger zone, but Charlie Slusher does just enough to render the play harmless.
The islanders then get some juice from this individual effort from Kareem Haylock, but it?s the near upright rejects this shot.
And just before the half expires, Marco Soto, the Brazilian, unleashes this shot with his back to the goal that Elroy Rowley somehow sees… And at the half it?s a scoreless ballgame.
In second half, Rudolph Flowers tries to seal the victory for the city team with this spotkick, but Charlie Slusher is focussed today. For its part, San Pedro had this opportunity to grab the W when this rebound reaches Marco Soto, but the left foot sails over the crossbar and at the end of regulation we do have a nil-nil ballgame.
In other results from around the league, In Group A: Benque Viejo United and Placencia Pirates settle for a 1-1 draw in a battle that certainly hurts the playoff ambitions of the Placencia Pirates. Hankook Verdes beat Kremandala 1-nil on the auto goal from Trevor Lennon, Cayo Avengers fell 1-nil to Wagiya.
Over in Group B: Mango Creek doubled Belmopan United 2-1, while the Calcutta Bulls and BOCA F.C. battled to a 2-2 draw.
Now here?s a look at the standings with two weeks remaining in the RFG Insurance Cup in regular season. Wagiya has about twenty-nine points, Hankook Verdes twenty-seven, F.C. Belize twenty-two, and Kremandala nineteen. Which means from Group A, these four teams are definitely headed to the playoffs since the Placencia Pirates with two matches to go and certainly showing twelve points right now can only total eighteen; that won?t be good enough. Benque Viejo United shows five points. The only intrigued remaining in Group A of this B.P.F.L. tournament is if the Cayo Avengers will get a point this season.
Over in Group B: New Site Erei is the only ball club in this grouping that is assured of making the playoff scene; they show twenty-nine points at the juncture. They are followed by Mango Creek with twenty-two, San Pedro Seahawks twenty, while both BOCA and Belmopan United show sixteen apiece. With six points from two matches, sixteen plus six gives you twenty-two, this is what makes Mango Creek uncertain at this time to make the playoffs, but they certainly have the inside shot in Group B.
Hey folks, that?s our show for today. We invite you back same time, same place next week. Jah over all, I?m James Adderley.
