Females cyclists prepare for Mother’s Day
They are becoming almost as well known to the public as their male counterparts…and why not? Belize’s female cyclists have come a long way. On Sunday we’ll find out just how far.
Janelle Chanona, Reporting
For more than a decade, Belizean female riders have been fighting for a seat in local cycling circles, and for the first time, this year, they’ve come out in numbers greater than two. In fact, eight women will participate in the thirteenth Annual Female Cross Country Cycling Classic: Shandra Nisbet Cansino, Claudette Maheia, Amelita Knowles, Anamarie Bennett, Fiona Humes Gonzales, Marinett Flowers, Violet Morrison, and Sheena Castillo…and riding along with them are the sponsors.
Joe Habet, Chairperson Female Cycling Committee
“The stage is set for a very competitive race. The girls have had everything on the female calendar so far, from road races to the so-called Saturday races, even time trials. And those races have been very exciting; we look forward to a very, very exciting cross country. I also wear a second hat as the Country Representative for Shell, so I want to, on that regard, I want to thank Shell for the sponsorship, I want to thank the other members of my management team for supporting me decision to sponsor this race. We’re gonna make sure that it’s a very good one.”
Anamarie Bennett
“I think it’s about time they start giving us the respect that we’re due. For too long women have had to sit in the background, while the men take the credit. We are just as good if not better than them, so it’s about time.”
Perhaps they deserve more than respect. Above and beyond the demands of this challenging sport, these women are mothers, homemakers, wives, and hold demanding jobs…and while these similarities create a bond of camaraderie, make no mistake: these ladies are in it to win it.
Claudette Maheia
“I’m sure everybody has their strategy, but the tendency seems to be that we’re riding together. I don’t think any one person will get away at any point, the pack is too big for one person to take that lead and sustain that all the way into town. So the trend has been that we come in as a group and it’s just a sprint at the end.”
Alan Auil, Road Commissar
“I haven’t trained for about ten months and I can tell you, when I’m out on the road, once in a while I cannot keep up with these girls. They pace hard, they ride hard, they are in good condition.”
“These aren’t leisure riders, they race and they race well. And the only people I think in Belize who can keep up with them are racing males, non cyclists could not keep up with these girls, they don’t ride leisurely, they race fast.”
And they are training hard…on the highway, in the hills…the veterans fine-tuning their skills…the cross country virgins pushing to edge out the experienced.
Fiona Humes Gonzales
“It’s like you know, you have your own bed, you get used to your bed; you have to get used to that area weh you wah ride, be familiarised with every lee hill, every run down, everything.”
But is everybody excited about the girls crashing the party?
Shandra Nisbet Cansino
“They are like a hundred coaches on the road for us; they give us all the support that we need, they ride with us sometimes, they give us pointers, they give us tips. So we are very, very grateful to the guys that ride on the road with us. And I personally cannot sat anything negative about the male cyclists riding along with the females.”
And they are looking for company…any takers?
The big race kicks off from San Ignacio at seven on Sunday morning.
