Marlon wins Belmopan race without best bike

Good evening I’m James Adderley and we’re certainly glad you could join us for this delivery of Sports Monday.

The twenty-sixth Annual Cititrust Belmopan Cycle Classic reigned supreme on the Western Highway Sunday, ninth March Baron Bliss Day as some seventy-nine riders featuring twelve teams and five foreigners opted to be the best in a race that runs from Belize City to capital city Belmopan and back for some hundred and five miles. Darnell Barrow of Megabytes breaks out of a compact pelathon at Hattieville under an incessant drizzle to grab that station prize. However, the first real breakaway of this race comes from Gregory Lovell of Santino’s and Giovanni Choto of C-Ray who boast a minute and a half lead as they hug the curve into the Southern Highway en route to the turn around point inside the capital city Belmopan. They would maintain that lead and as they fly past mile forty-seven on the way back to the Belize City with Giovanni Choto claiming that premie. Nevertheless, the chase pack remains unrelenting in its pursuit of the duo as they jump the Beaver Dam Bridge where that wildly veteran Kenneth Butler had grabbed the station prize going and it’s a brand new configuration when the inevitable does happen. At mile twenty-one we catch up with the trio who burst out of the pack at mile thirty-three to make a run for it and they are Carlos Hernandez of Benny’s Megabytes, Marlon Castillo of Santino’s and Gabriel Epstein of team Red Bull. For the Guatemalan rider Hernandez a back wheel puncture at mile eleven pulls him out of the lead trio and he would never get back in the lead. Some five miles from the finish at the Belcan Bridge it’s a two man lead of Marlon Castillo and Gabriel Epstein in full control of the event. On the way to the tape Gabriel Epstein does not challenge Marlon Castillo who raises his hands in victory and owner of a new race record with a time of four hours, seven minutes, thirty-five seconds eclipsing the old record by some nine minutes. A minute and a half later Carlos Hernandez, the Guatemalan riding for Benny’s Megabytes, pulls in unchallenged for third place. Luis Maroquin, a Guatemalan riding for Santino’s takes fourth place all alone while Panamanian Christian McNish of Benny’s Megabytes out sprints a field of seven to round out the top five finishers.

James Adderley
“This is your second Belmopan Cycle Classic. Which one mi sweeter, the first or the second”

Marlon Castillo, Winner, Team Santino’s
“The second because I wah show them people dah noh the bike. It is the man weh deh pan the bike. Of course yo done use to dah new machine weh roll sweet and lose it. I show them dah noh the bike. My father seh so weh happen the bike have wah machine then? It’s di legs.”

On the female side Shalini Zabaneh of Team Sagitun took the fifty mile ride in two hours, seventeen minutes, twelve seconds, forcing Alicia Thompson of Telemedia Swoosh into second while teammate Jamielee Usher of Sagitun pulled up third. Up note Shalini and Jamielee combined to sweep all station prizes. All six of them, I should say.

Shalini Zabaneh, Winner, Team Sagitun
“At mile thirty Jamie attacked and I countered off of that and I just dug hard all the way and I was able to make it all the way home.”

James Adderley
“We understand that you and Jamie swept all the station prizes.”

Shalini Zabaneh
“Yeah, she went from I guess around mile forty-five and we had a little gap on the crowd so she was able to get the first two.”

James Adderley
“Tell us, what does this win mean to Shalini Zabaneh?”

Shalini Zabaneh
“Oh I love to win like this. This is coming in solo. That’s what everybody tells me I’m strong at so when I do come in like that I feel good.”

On the junior side Daniel Choto of Crystal Cycling club edged out his teammate Hernan Ochaeta to win the eighty mile race in three hours, four minutes, forty-five seconds while Jairo Campos of Smart O.W. United rounds out the top three. The next big event on the cycling calendar is the eightieth Cross Country Cycling Classic which comes up on Holy Saturday. It’s a monster so stay tuned.

Turning to the football scene week four of the B.P.F.L. playoffs found the Belize Defence Force hosting Wagiya of Dangriga inside the M.C.C. Grounds Saturday night under lights. Of course, league leading and undefeated B.D.F. faces a Wagiya team hungry for its first big W of this playoffs. And it’s a quick start for the Dangriga team when Edwin Cacho tries to beat Charlie Slusher at the near post. We must say Deon McCauley might be in a forgiving mood when he lets goalkeeper Anthony Requena get away with this miscue. When B.D.F. attacks off this corner kick, Requena gives up his body for the team and yes, he would continue mercifully. We’re eighteen minutes into the ballgame when a swift re-start by the military finds the Wagiya defense napping, the turn around launch from McCauley is not great but its good enough to give his team a 1-zip lead. Deon Flowers then decides he wants his goal in this outing too but misses the target by mere inches. Wagiya then goes to the set piece for the equalizer but Oliver Wiltshire’s launch is handled by Charlie Slusher. Just before the half expires Deon McCauley sets table for his brother David who fails to capitalize.

In early second half play David McCauley gets another open look at goal only to have Requena intervene. Wagiya is not too far off from the equalizer on this shot from Edwin Cacho but it’s still a 1-nil ballgame people. At the other end Floyd Jones gets this look at goal but he fails to double the B.D.F. lead. It’s more excitement when Marcos Souto fires this left as Maynard Nunez bails out his keeper. In the closing moments of this ballgame its Dangriga pressing the action but they just can’t come up with a necessary goal. The Belize Defence Force hangs on to the 1-zip big W.

In the other playoff match Daniel Jimenez’s goal in injury time gave Hankook Verdes a 1-zip victory over F.C. Belize at the M.C.C. Grounds yesterday. Thus after four weeks the B.D.F. leads with 10 points, Hankook Verdes is next with 9, F.C. Belize shows 4 and Wagiya is yet to pick up a point. On week five’s schedule Wagiya, already out of the title picture, will host F.C. Belize on Sunday while at the M.C.C. Grounds the B.D.F. goes up against Hankook Verdes.

Turning to the Super League of Belize, Forever Strong Kraal Road blanked Estrellas F.C. 3-zip yesterday while Benque DC United and Texmar Boy settled for a 1-1 stalemate. On Saturday Forever Strong Kraal Road faces Texmar Boys in a pivotal showdown at the M.C.C. Grounds and on Sunday Estrellas F.C. will be hosted by Benque DC United.

In basketball news from the National Primary School Championship, La Democracia School beat Faith Nazarene 10-8 to take the female title while Burrell Boom Methodist edged St. Alphonsus 32-27 to capture the male edition. Congratulations are in order to Kara Young who emerged female M.V.P. and male M.V.P. honours went to Shane Pinkard. Both hail from Belize City.

Finally folks, the mighty La Ruta Maya mesmerized the fans yesterday with its monster conclusion at the Belcan Bridge and yes it’s the Belize Bank winning the final stage beating out Caribbean Tire Wholesale, Reagan International and Caribbean Pride Belize Limited in that order. However, hold everything, the fourth place finish by Caribbean Pride is enough to give them the 2008 title and yeah, big time congratulations.

Christopher Guydis, Captain, Caribbean Pride Belize Limited
“What was in my mind is just, keep all men in striking distance that’s all. I just hanging on to my time and that’s what we did and we come out successful.”

Raul Gutierrez
“Was this your hardest Ruta Maya Chris?

Christopher Guydis
“This is my hardest Ruta Maya.”

Raul Gutierrez
“Well worth it huh?”

Christopher Guydis
“Well worth it.”

Hey folks, that’s our show for today. We certainly invite you back same time, same place, next week. Jah over all, I’m James Adderley.

In late news from the sports desk we are happy to report that in a University level basketball tournament currently underway in Costa Rica the U.B. team has won its first two games against Honduras and Costa Rica, 58-45 and 68-52 respectively. On Wednesday morning Belize goes up against top seeded Panama.