It was a full afternoon of cycling for all ages, with cool weather and clear skies on Marine Parade on Sunday, October 23, in the 3rd Annual UWI Day of Races, organized by the University of the West Indies (UWI) Open Campus in conjunction with the Belize Cycling Association (BCA). And by the time the day was done, two champions had successfully defended their crowns, which they had won last November 14 in the same event. The races traversed the Marine Parade Boulevard circuit, starting in front of the Celebrity Restaurant, going north to the roundabout at Eve Street, turning south until the intersection at Hudson Street, and returning to the start/finish line for one lap. Last year, the race was 12 laps for Juniors & Youth and Masters, and 18 laps for the Elites & Under 23; but this year’s race went 10 laps for Juniors & Youth and Women & Masters Cat 4&5, and 20 laps for the Elites & Under 23 & Masters Cat 2&3.
High school male
8 riders started and 7 finished the high school race which went 5 laps of the circuit. Zahir Figueroa of Sacred Heart High came in all alone to take 1st place in 14:06 (14 minutes 6 seconds) for an average speed of 21.27 mph (miles per hour). The 3-man sprint for 2nd place was won by Delawn Abraham (Caanan High), followed in 3rd by Brandon Morgan (Sacred Heart), and 4th Gian Zetina (Sacred Heart), all clocking 14:23. 5th was Philton Butler (Anglican Cathedral) in 15:03; 6th Richard Santiago (S.J.C.) also in 15:03; and 7th Kenroy Ingraham (Wesley) in 17:10.
Primary school female
The primary school females travelled only half a lap, and all 4 starters completed the race. 1st was Maria Bennett (Georgeville Primary) in 01:17 for an average of 23.37 mph; 2nd Paulita Chavarria (Sacred Heart) in 01:24; 3rd Dyanne Cleland (St. Joseph Primary) in 01:42; and 4th Dalliyah Smith (Grace Primary) in 01:48.
Primary school male
All 10 starters also finished in the primary school male race, which travelled a complete lap. Charleston Cleland of St. Joseph Primary blew away the competition, finishing 1st in 02:22 for an average 25.35 mph. Following in 2nd place over a minute later was Darien Anderson (Anglican Cathedral) in 03:41; and 3rd David Versus (St. Hilda’s) in 03:49. They were followed in succession by Joshua Gillett (Special Education), Derick Chavarria (Sacred Heart), Marco Cal (St. Joseph), Malique Gillett (Queen St. Baptist), Derick Brown (Special Education), and Ashton Vernon (Queen St. Baptist).
Juniors & Youth
Next was the Juniors & Youth, and all 17 starters completed the race, which was a 10-lap affair. Austin Armstrong and Aiden Emir Juan broke away from the main peloton midway through the race, and in the 2-man sprint to the tape, it was Austin Armstrong (D&D Consultancy) taking top honors, with Aiden Juan (Cayo High Road) settling for 2nd place. Both recorded a finishing time of 28:50 for an average speed of 20.80 mph. Adrian Linares (Cayo Uprising) came in 3rd in 28:58; 4th was Deezan Spence (D&D Consultancy) ahead of 5th place Juan Umana (Cayo High Road), both in 29:47. A 3-man sprint followed, with 6th place going to Zahir Figueroa (Cayo Uprising), 7th Kyle Kevin Gentle (Cayo High Road), and 8th Gian Zetina (Cayo Uprising), all in 30:05. The final bunch of 6, all finishing in 30:41, was led by 9th Riis Cattouse (C-Ray), followed by 10th Phillip Mencias (Indeco), 11th Brandon Morgan (Cayo Uprising), 12th Delawn Abraham (Benny’s Megabytes), 13th Anfernee Young (Cayo High Road), and 14th Joslyn Chavarria, Jr. (Greedy’s).
Women & Masters Cat 4&5
Only 3 females lined up along with 11 males in the Women & Masters Cat 4&5 race, which was another 10-lap affair, and one cyclist from each category failed to finish.
In the Masters race, a 6-man peloton arrived together at the finish line, and it was reigning champion Preston Martinez (M&M Engineering) winning the sprint to the finish to successfully defend his crown with a time of 28:17 for a 21.21 mph clip. Hot on his heels were 2nd place Ernest Meighan (Santino’s), 3rd Robert Liam Stewart (M&M Eng.), 4th Phillip Dawson (Indeco), 5th Barney Brown (F.T. Williams), and 6th Wilbert Jones (F.T. Williams), all recording the same 28:17. Next was a bunch of 4 in 29:07, with Vallan Symms (Horizon) taking 7th place, followed by 8th Ken Gladden (Typhoon), 9th Halton Ritchie, Jr. (Horizon), and 10th Raymond Allan Hyde (Santinto’s).
Patricia Chavarria (AAA Lyons) won the Women category in 33:28 (17.3 mph), with 2nd place going to Kirah Eiley (C-Ray) who finished in 33:40.
Elites & Under 23 & Masters Cat 2&3
It was an early 3-man break-away that was quickly down to two men in the big Open race for Elites, Under 23 and Masters Cat 2&3 riders, in which 23 riders started and 19 finished. Marlon “Diesel” Castillo (Santino’s) had lapped the field in the last criterium race, a 35 lap (35 miles) affair in downtown Belize City back on September 11, but there was no lapping of the field in the shorter 20-lap (20 miles) race around the Marine Parade circuit on Sunday.
From the starting line-up, defending UWI Day of Races Elite champion David Henderson (Indeco) stayed close to Marlon Castillo (Santino’s), and when Marlon led an early break, it was soon down to two men leading the race, lap after lap. David refused to be “dropped” by Marlon, and the two cyclists went all the way to the finish, where Henderson clipped Castillo in the sprint to repeat as champion, both men clocking 0:53:29 for an average speed of 22.43 mph. 3rd was Allen Castillo (Indeco) coming in alone at 0:53:57. 4th was Joeavin “Faggie” Leslie (Santino’s) at 0:54:28. Next was 5th place Geon Hanson (Indeco) in 0:54:41. And then a group of 7 riders, led by 7th place Melvin “Mello” Tillett (C-Ray), then 8th Byron Pope (Benny’s Megabytes), 9th Quinton Hamilton (Santino’s), 10th Leroy Casasola (Santino’s), 11th Orson Butler (M&M Eng.), and 12th Tariq Cano (Indeco), all in a time of 0:54:57.