“Queen of the Hills” will be crowned this weekend

This weekend eight courageous women are expected to hit the hills and valleys of the Stann Creek and Cayo districts in the Belize Cycling Association’s annual Queen of the Hills competition. The country’s top female riders such as Fiona Humes Gonzalez, Marinette Flowers, Gina and Gabriel Lovell, and this year’s Cross Country Champion Anthea Sutherland, are all expected to take on the challenge of the steep terrain between Dangriga and Belmopan on day one, while day two features the challenge of Mount Hope on the way into Benque Viejo. According to the Belize Cycling Association’s Leticia Westby, while the two-day event is the last of the female races this year, women are always welcome to join the sport.

Leticia Westby, Female Cycling Coordinator, B.C.A.
?I definitely want to encourage as much females…the field has been growing, grows, and then goes back with regard to participants. I know that the females some times get frustrated in regards with the respect that they get with their races. We actually have a calendar of activities set out, we work through the association. With the assistance of the association, we get sponsorship in that regards. However, as usual–I hope the association won?t get mad with me, but sometimes the prizes are not comparable with the male in that regard and we understand sometimes they are not running the same distance, but it?s almost the same and they put in the same effort in terms of training.?

Main sponsors for the Queen of the Hills competition are Courts, Matthew Smiling, and Total Sports. If you would like to contribute a prize, please contact Leticia Westby at 610-1912. The race on Saturday starts at nine at the Dangriga Roundabout, while the ride on Sunday starts at ten a.m. from Blackman Eddy Village.