Andrew Smiling wins Mother’s Day cycle race
Good evening. I’m James Adderley and welcome to this fresh serving of Sports Monday.
One of the richest races on the Belizean cycling circuit just happens to be the Bel-Chi Mother’s Day Cycle Classic. So we take you out to the Capital City Belmopan for yesterday’s start of the eighth edition of this one hundred and ten-mile ride.
At the start the 80 or so riders cut a striking picture as they head towards Benque Viejo. Going through Teakettle Village the pelathon remains more or less intact but there are eight riders making a move, making sure they keep Glenn Godoy in sight. Godoy nonetheless wins the station prize at Mount Hope but a couple miles more he is going by Orson Butler, Douglas Lamb and Guy Morris.
Meanwhile hugging the curve by the police station in San Ignacio finds the pelathon back in tact as they tackle the very steep San Ignacio Hill. However, en route to Benque Viejo junior rider Shane Vasquez leads the pace, being followed by Quinton Hamilton, a foreign rider and Ernest Meighan. Still on the way out of Benque Viejo two young riders jump to the lead to zip through San Ignacio on the way back as a pair – Williams and Jeffrey Zelaya. But they get reeled in just outside Teakettle to form a new lead pack of some 9 riders. Around the Belmopan cutoff the lead 9 remains intact and here’s a look at the athletes performing under a severe heat of 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Butler, Bunas, Smith, Big Mike, Ryan Garbutt, Zelaya and JawMeighan and Francisco “the Animal” Flores.
Meanwhile folks, cycling does leaves one susceptible to the variables and here is Labor’s Day winner James Frampton being carried to a vehicle after a cruel crash.
At mile 4 it’s Andrew Smiling on the pace followed by Ryan Garbutt, Jeffrey Zelaya, Bunas Mejia, Quinton Hamilton and Big Mike Lewis. Right behind the lead 6, 2 mean riders make their move and it sure works for young Shane Vasquez and JawMeighan.
So with the tape in sight at Constitution Park it’s an 8-man sprint for the Big W. Andrew Smiling grabs the lead, JawMeighan challenges, but Andrew Smiling prevails giving the thirty six year old veteran a much deserved victory. JawMeighan, pulls up second, Collet “Bunas” Mejia third, Big Mike Lewis finishes fourth, Shane Vasquez – the badest junior rider right now in the country – he pulled in fifth and Ryan Garbutt rounds out the top six. They all finish in a time: 5 hours, 4 minutes, 56 seconds.
Andrew Smiling, Winner, Mother’s Day Cycle Classic
“I don’t know what to say. I am just, I am happy. I redeemed myself, I don’t know what else to say.”
Q: “Were you intimidated by the former Cross Country Champion who was coming with you, arguably one of the fastest men along with Michael Lewis who was definitely one of the fastest men? How did you size up that sprint?”
Andrew Smiling
“Oh yes, definitely I was watching Michael and JawMeighan but something happened to Michael’s bike. He jumped first but then he sat down and started messing with his gears. I don’t know what happened to his bike but something happened to his bike and to be honest something happened to him.”
Q: “Something happened to you too a few years ago when you were about to win your Cross Country Championship?”
Andrew Smiling
“Well, yeah, well it’s a long time ago, I can barely remember that.”
In closing folks we wanna remind you that the Belize Football League Knockout Season kicks off this Sunday. In the meantime we want to say congratulations to National Champion Juventus Pepsi of Orange Walk who beat the Guatemalan National Under Twenty One Football Selection 3-1 on penalties, and got past the Peten Selection 5-1 to grab yesterday’s quadrangular at Guatemala in a temperature of 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Nuff respect to Raul Pelayo and Company.
That’s it. Thanks to the work of one of our great cameramen this weekend. Jah over all. I’m James Adderley.
