BELIZE CITY, Mon. July 6, 2020– Thanks to a phone call to the Krem WUB this morning from another former Cross Country champion, Matthew Smiling, we entered a Google search and confirmed what Smiling shared, that two-time Belize Holy Saturday Cross Country Champion, Justin Williams had been named the No. 8 most influential person in cycling by the prestigious Cycling News international publication. Only two active cyclists are included in the seven individuals higher on the list than Justin.
Below are brief excerpts from the Cycling News article:
The Power List: The 50 most influential people in cycling
By Daniel Benson, Kirsten Frattini, Patrick Fletcher, Stephen Farrand
Cyclingnews.com, June 05, 2020
Power isn’t necessarily derived from one element. It’s often a combination of wealth, influence, control and inspiration. Here at Cyclingnews, we have compiled our list of the 50 most powerful people in the sport, and it incorporates individuals from various communities: from riders to managers, sponsors, governors and advocates for change and progress, it’s an inclusive run-down on who shapes pro cycling.
While our top 50 is comprehensively pulled together from different bodies and organisations, we realise that professional cycling has a long way to go if it wants to reach parity in terms of gender and race. Our list, subjective as it is, represents where we feel cycling currently stands, rather than where it should be. We hope that our list kicks off a wider debate than just who should or shouldn’t be top, and opens up discussions on where cycling can improve…
8. Justin Williams (rider and team owner)
Power and influence come in a variety of forms. For some, those attributes present themselves through wealth or material prosperity, but there are other forms of power within sport. After being denied opportunities, Justin Williams has created his own path into the sport, and he’s done it through determination, ability and resolve in the face of undeniable obstacles. His Legion of Los Angeles team has become an inspiration for a generation of African American and black athletes, and his fight to redress the inequality in cycling is both a beacon for where the sport lies and where it should be aiming for equality…