U.S. rider wins stage 4 of M&M Tour
Stage four of the M&M Tour left Belize City this morning heading west … and News Five’s James Adderley was right in the thick of it.
James Adderley Reporting
The Tourist Village here in Belize City was the scene this morning for the start of stage four in the M&M Tour of Belize and the guys in front of the pelathon are all riders who have proven their worth so far. Of course everyday in this monster six stage tour produces a brand new star and as the hundred and eighteen riders embark on the eighty mile ride to Benque Viejo Border Stadiion we are reminded that anything can happen. The lead out by Commissiar Moto driven by Ensworth Tzul gives way to the race and while some rabbits seem determined to make an early run this ride would be for the strong. The first legitimate break away occurs when Alliance Environmental’s Joe Witman took charge at mile ten and a half to skate all the way to mile eighteen until he is reeled in. at Rockville this first intermediary sprint is well contested but the polka dot jersey of Javier Lindna grabs it and he might have thought it was a king of the mountain premie. Things begin to get clearer around mile thirty-seven when two time U.C.I. Time Trial champion Michael Olheiser of Herring Gas, Chad Bayer of the U.S. National under twenty-three team and Luis Gutierrez of Tecos Break out of a lead pack of ten. However, by the time the race reached Roaring Creek, the lead is down to two wilth Olheiser pushing the pace as Gutierrez tries to block for his yellow shirted teammate Carlos Oyarzun in the back. This one we’ve never seen before people. We’re ascending Mount Hope when the American Olheiser blows off his Tecos companion in an incredible show of strength. Again this is history in the making as the U.S. rider who came into stage four ten minutes, twenty-three seconds behind the yellow jersey steps into time trial mode as he streaks towards San Ignacio.
We’re going up the Cement Hill and we find Luis Gutierrez trying to make the chase but Olheiser is long gone. Even in the hilly terrain of Benque Viejo Olheiser continues to increase the distance between himself and the competition. And now he does his grooming for the occasion as he raises his hands in victory from an unbelievable solo flight. Yes, the hug from his manager in celebration is real and deserving. In the battle for second place Gabriel Epstein of Santino’s prevails over Luis Gutierrez for second while Walter Gaiteon pulls up fourth, he rides for the Nicaragua/Honduras team and Manuel Rodas, he rounds out the top five. He rides for Cable DX.
Michael Olheiser, Herring Gas Cycling Team
“U.S.A. did an awesome job of really putting the hammer down early and I just kinda reaped the benefits after they blew the field apart. Earlier in the race, even two days ago, the opportunities just didn’t present themselves for me to do anything. So we really just kinda were plan, we were trying some good team tactics, keep people in the break, really work as a team, really just try and focus on doing well overall, try and focus on the team time trial last night. Didn’t do quite as well as we wanted to in there we felt pretty good but really just kinda and focus as a team. We know it’s a five day stage race and we just knew we had to be real patient and the opportunities present themselves. They come up and you just have to take advantage of them.
James Adderley
“You bust out ah the pack with Luis Gutierrez, apparently you two couldn’t work together.”
Michael Olheiser
“No, you had the leader, the yellow jersey on his team so I really didn’t expect him to do a lot even in the initial break. Tecos was not doing a lot at all and really knew that they weren’t gonna work so we really didn’t even ask them to because they were definatley waiting for the yellow jersey back in the pack. Luckily he came off on the really steep climb so …”
James Adderley
“You blew him off on the hill there, the steepest hill on this route.”
Michael Olheiser
“Yeah, I was really surprised when he wasn’t back there.”
Gabriel Epstein, Team Santino’s
“When we reached the Cement Hill, when we reached the top I saw the whole field had split up and one guy put an attack and I just went with him and kept working. Just kept going hard and we ended up catching a few guys and from there we just worked on and went as hard as we could.”
James Adderley
“How does this finish enhance your chances for winning it all?”
Gabriel Epstein
“Well, I don’t personally plan on winning it all I plan on helping my teammate Luciano maybe move up into first place. Maybe I’d like to have a good overall finish as well. Right now I’m probably in the top ten.”
So we go to the podium with the top three finishers from stage four and that one thousand dollars belongs to big Mike who remains some seven minutes behind the yellow jersey. Of course, that piece of garment remains with Carlos Oyarzun of Team Tecos who also wears sprinters green sponsored by SOL Belize Ltd. Argentinean Luciano Santos of Santino’s sports the best under twenty-three red sponsored by B.T.B. and he remains a mere thirty-five seconds behind the leader. At the end of the fourth stage the Belizean blue from Tony’s Superstore remains with Jose Choto who is still four minutes, fifteen seconds behind the yellow jersey.
Jose Choto, Team Tequila Afamado
“We mi di try hard fi catch up but the speed weh them boy di go sometimes ih get just kinda hard fi mek yo catch up but we still satisfied that we di keep the jersey and we di hold wah alright position fi stay round because the amount a good competition we have ih no easy fi seh we just wa win.”
This brings us to stage five tomorrow people, which travels from Benque Viejo to Dangriga and swings back to finish on top the gap on to Southern Highway for some one hundred fourteen miles and then concludes on Sunday with stage six, the ninety mile ride from San Ignacio to Benque Viejo and then swings back to finish at the M&M office on the Northern Highway here in Belize City. We ask you to join us here on Channel Five Monday night for the full details. I’m James Adderley reporting for News Five.
