Cycling sponsor retires from pro-cycling … again

By reputation, he’s head of one of the largest family business empires, he can rock a mic and he and his bike are never far apart. But this week Santino Castillo announced that he’s pulling out of cycling as an elite sponsor. Before you can say “Again!?!?”, you should know that Castillo told News Five’s Janelle Chanona that this time he means it.

Santino Castillo, Team Sponsor
“I can’t continue fight Janelle, I’ll be fifty-two next moth. I noh wahn fight noh more.”

Without challenge, Team Santino’s is one of the most successful teams on the local cycling scene. In its twenty-nine years of competition, the black and white riders have dominated the prize podiums in national races. Getting to the top isn’t cheap and sponsor Santino Castillo estimates he’s invested hundreds of thousand of dollars in his team. Cycling is a competitive sport and rivals are fierce, but over the years a bitter relationship has developed between Castillo and fellow rider and sponsor Ray Cattouse of Team C-Rays. That tense relationship climaxed two weekends ago when Castillo’s employee Ernest “Dangalang” Thurton, who rides for another team, accused Cattouse of punching him in the mouth during a Saturday race. Cattouse has disputed that report but Castillo says he’s so unhappy with the way the Belize Cycling Association is handling the incident, he’s retiring from elite racing.

Santino Castillo
“The Saturday after he punched down Dangalang, seven guys showed up to ride the race. That tells a story in itself. Besides, you know … let me call it quits and this it’s for real. Let them see what cycling is without me. When I travel to Central America I am embraced by those people. Somebody that spends the amount I do and what I invest in the youths in cycling, I should be embraced by the Cycling Association. they say they are kicking me in the rear so if noh want me, no problem.”

Gerald Garbutt, President, Belize Cycling Association
“At the time when the assault tek place, or some assault tek place, the official from our side of the Association was not on the spot. So it was gossip we were hearing so we had to wait to get a written report from both sides and do an interview with our official too and we are looking into it now.”

That investigation will continue next week to determine what exactly happened on the road but according to Cycling Association President Gerald Garbutt, cycling will not suffer because of Castillo’s decision to withdraw as an elite sponsor.

Gerald Garbutt
“The retirement of Mr. Castillo … sports goes on Janelle and we have twelve other sponsors and all of them, in my view, they are equal participation. There are some sponsors who don’t want to abide by the rules. They want two different rules. We have one rules that govern the Cycling Association, that’s all I got to say about that.”

While teams and riders change every year the one constant in cycling seems to be controversy. But Garbutt insists that under his leadership the sport will only get stronger.

Gerald Garbutt, President
“We are here, we are here for them and cycling continues. There is no lull in it you understand? Dah jus dat some people want to have their way, want to have special attention drawn to them and I am not there for that, I was not elected for that. I was elected to govern the whole cross section of the cycling.”

As for the future of Santino’s elite riders, we understand Mateo Cruz, Greg Lovell, Geovanni Leslie and Marlon Castillo are in negotiations to sign on with Sugar City Boys from Orange Walk. As for Santino Castillo, he’s planning youth programs at the newly adopted SanCas Animal Park and will continue competing in the four, five and Master division races.

Santino Castillo
“We have fun out there, no quarrel. When we done wi drink wi lee beer, no quarrel happen. I wah stick to that.”

Santino’s next event is a three day points race scheduled for May thirtieth to June First, open to Four/Five riders and females. Reporting for News Five, I am Janelle Chanona.

According to our files in June 2001, Castillo also announced his retirement, citing problems with then Cycling President Kevin Hall, becoming a sponsor of the San Cas U.B. basketball team. Then in April 2004 he also bowed out telling the Association that “The way the rules now govern Cycling in Belize, it will be a long time before a Belizean cyclist wins Cross Country again,” maintaining that many sponsors find it more convenient to import talent rather than spend time and money developing local riders. Time will tell if this is the last chapter in Castillo’s involvement in professional cycling.