Chilean wins first stage of M&M Tour
He’s just off the road from Orange Walk but James Adderley has the latest results from today’s first stage of the M&M Tour of Belize.
James Adderley, Reporting
Excitement and electricity permeated the air this morning as the M&M Tour of Belize blasted off from the San Cas Plaza at nine for the hundred and twenty-eight miles of cycling in stage one. And we give you this glimpse of defending champion Marlon Castillo in the yellow jersey to kick things off and of course, this view of a hundred and nineteen riders beginning the lead out for their opening stage. The first lead break away of this journey is engineered by the foursome of Carlos Oyarzun of Team Tecos, Gabriel Epps of Team Santino’s, Aspel Rojas of Cable DX and Teddy Vasquez of Western Spirits around mile seventeen. However, by the time the race reaches the bypass at Orange Walk, we have some twelve riders enjoying an eight minute lead over the pelathon. Twenty-two miles from Corozal Carlos Oyarzun of Team Tecos and Luciano Santos, an Argentinean riding for Team Santino’s, decided to run and run they do people. This duo runs all the way to the turn around point at the Santa Elena border and now they are on their way back to the finish line waiting inside Sugar City O.W. This duo would run all the way back to O.W. without being caught and finished one and two respectively in an unofficial time of five hours, twenty-two minutes.
In the battle for third place cold house of the United States National under twenty-three Team beats out Jose Choto who has to settle for fourth place. And we promise people to give you the full finish in our next broadcast which comes up tomorrow, please join us at that time.
At the post-race ceremonies, it’s Carlos Oyarzun of Team Tecos who has captured the yellow jersey, Luciano Santos of Santino’s gets the under twenty-three red jersey, Javier Lindna picks up the king of the mountain shirt and Jose Choto, who is three minutes, ten seconds behind wears the blue jersey for the best Belizean finish.
Jose Choto, Team Tequila Afamado
“I mi want win the stage because that da fi we goal when we—every cyclist that participate, fi they goal da win the day. But ih come up that I finish fourth and we satisfy with that because the race neva easy with all them foreigners and they boy di step the pace high but I nuh think we deh below them wah lot, we deh right eena fi them plate, noh?”
James Adderley
“In terms of time, you’re some three minutes, twenty seconds behind though.”
Jose Choto
“Yeah, but ,maybe we noh win the race, maybe we noh win the race or maybe we win it because yo could memba last year the race mi decide eena the hill stage noh. So all weh we have to do dah just fight hard through the rest a di days and try hold wah lee … the best position we could hold because if we noh win we still satisfied with whatever God mek we get.”
Stage two now comes up tomorrow at eight a.m. featuring a sixty-six mile ride from Orange Walk through the Boom circle to finish in front of Leslie’s Imports on the Western Highway. That will be followed by stage three in the afternoon at two-thirty right back on the Boom circle for the team time trial event. Hey folks, time is our problem, we invite you to join us tomorrow. I’m James Adderley reporting for News Five.
