Cycling race grows tighter each day

The nine-day cycling race known as the M and M Tour of Belize becomes more interesting with each new stage. James Adderley was on the road this morning and returns with the latest.

James Adderley, Reporting
Stage five of the 2006 M&M Tour blasted off under clear skies this morning featuring sixty-eight cyclists on a fifty-mile trek up and down the Boom circuit.

The eerie glow of the early morning permeates all over this slow start today, but at the bonus sprint in front of Almond Hill, Mateo Cruz steps out to gain five seconds on his rivals; it might help him down the road.

Through the Boom circuit proper Chris Harkey and Darnell Barrow engineered this breakaway, but with so little cooperation between them, the attempt is obviously doomed.

And at the Hattieville junction on the way back, it?s Chris Harkey trying to make it on his own.

However, the chase group would have none of that and this is what the chase pelathon looks like as it snakes its way through the Hattieville roundabout.

Around mile seven it?s that trio of Marlon Castillo, Byron Pope, and Shane Weaver trying to take over after passing Chris Harkey. Again, the field would allow that to happen.

So we come to the field sprint finish. It?s Marlon Castillo being overtaken by Ernest Meighan to the right of your screen, but keep your eyes on the left of the screen. It?s Gregory Lovell who finds the powers to burn Jawmeighan for the big W in a time of one hour, fifty-eight minutes, fifty-one seconds. Ernest Meighan pulls up second, third just happens to be tour sponsor himself Roque Matus, fourth is Robert Mariano, while American Shane Weaver rounds out the top five.

And if you?re asking about race leader Daniel Quetzal, the Guatemalan riding for Sun Digital Photo, here he is finishing last in the sprint after suffering a fall. Fortunately, there is no real damage from that fall. Nevertheless he looses no time and remains with the yellow jersey going into stage six, which comes up tomorrow with another fifty-miles through the Boom circuit.

Gregory Lovell, 2nd Overall, M&M Tour
?My team just needs to be around me, just protect me, stay to the front of the race and try to avoid those spills and … you know.?

James Adderley
?This is your race to win. All of a sudden you have been thrust to the forefront.?

Gregory Lovell
?Yeah, I just ride aggressive and hopefully I will try to be in a yellow jersey.?

Mateo Cruz, 4th Overall, M&M Tour
?I will just have to just go aggressive tomorrow and get in the break with probably an M and M guy who is strong or probably Megabytes and we could come together and get the yellow jersey before Friday, before the time trial and then try to protect it in the hills. I would be comfortable if Jose Choto gets the yellow jersey though because he could defend it more better in the hills than me; he is a better climber. ?

Roque Matus, 3rd Place, Stage 4, M&M Tour
?Well I?m a good sprinter and so these stages that are flat and short are my type of stages. And so I said I?m gonna try yesterday and I ended up coming fourth. Today, I came in third and I?m gonna try again tomorrow to see if I can win one.?

James Adderley
?The stage tour not only brings excitement, it brings development and it proves to be very beneficial to the sport of cycling and you as a sponsor are involved. Tell me what goes through Roque Matus?s mind??

Roque Matus
?Well it?s hard organising a tour, but it?s very rewarding. My interest is for the development of the younger guys now, so we know that all the great nations in cycling have tours and so I wanted to create a tour that continues to be big. With the support of people we can get it big and it can develop our Belizean cyclists.?

Don?t worry Roque, the M&M Tour is big and it continues tomorrow with stage six, so we?ll see you at that time. This is James Adderley reporting for News Five.

James will be back with another update on tomorrow’s newscast.