Category A: caption – Category A winners, (l to r) 4th Athlee Lozano, 2nd Edmund Camal, 1st Tyrin Tasher, 3rd Sydney Belizaire and 5th Sherwin Roca.
Category B: caption – Category B winners, (l to r) 4th Bob Gabourel, 2nd Sherman Thomas, 1st Phillip Burns, 3rd David Interian and 5th Roque Matus
Category C: caption – Category C winners, (l to r) 2nd Isaiah Willacey, 1st Santino the Chief, and 3rd Barrington Bomber Young.
The 3 Champions: caption – The 3 Champions in the 3 Categories, (l to r) B – Phillip Burns, A – Tyrin Tasher, C – Santino the Chief
BELIZE CITY, Wed. May 25, 2022
Some 77 riders, in one of the biggest cycling fields so far in 2022, lined up for this event, most being Weekend Warriors, Gonz Riders and Over-40 Riders, including 1 Guatemalan and 5 Mexicans. The race was called Double Cien because it was two races of Cien Kilometers, or 62.5 miles.
It boasted 5 nice finishing CA$H prizes being $500, $300, $200, $100 & $50 for both Category A & B; and $300, $200, $100 & $50 for the 4 finishers in the C Category, along with beautiful trophies for the Top 3 in each Category and medals for 4th & 5th. It also had 9 Station Prizes on Saturday and 17 on Sunday for a total of 26 Station Prizes between both days, totaling $1,700.00.
On Saturday morning the race commenced at 8:45 a.m. at Old Belize, and as the Commissaire blew the whistle, the pace was furious. We averaged 28 miles an hour for the first 10 miles to Hattieville. By the time we hit the halfway point at Jaguar Paw the race was blown to smithereens with bodies all over the road. The return journey was even more brutal in a head wind that was as hard as it was relentless in all directions. At the tape, it was Tyrin Tasher taking the Win and the Leaders Jersey into Stage 2, and Sherwin Roca in 2nd and Edmund Camal in 3rd.
On Sunday morning, those riders who did not abandon on Day One gathered at San Cas Plaza for Day 2. I estimate we started with about 60 to 65 of us, and as we went around the flag monument and got to the Gas Station UNO, we were off again. By the time we entered the Boom Road it was a war of attrition, with a Santino Mexican in the sole lead and an M&M Guatemalan furiously on the pace chasing with the whole Peloton in tow. As we exited Hattieville and made our way to the 8-Mile Roundabout, the pack was closing on the escapee. By the time we turned around, the rider in 2nd place, Sherwin Roca of FAL made his move and escaped. It was M&M’s sprinters Roque Matus and Fitzgerald Joseph on the pace to save the day for their Leader, Tyrin Tasher. By the time he was caught just after Prison, more bodies had been left scattered on the Tarmac. Meanwhile, Santino’s Mexican David Interian and Sydney Belizaire of Running Rebels made their decisive move and opened a gap which they were barely able to hold to the line at San Cas Plaza. In the end it was Sydney Belizaire wining Sunday’s Stage, with David Interian and Edmund Camal of Team Santino’s rounding out the top 3. After the officials, Michael Arthurs, Glenn Crawford, Marlon Smith and Chad Ysaguirre did their tabulation of points for both days, the respective winners in the 3 Categories were as follows:
Category A – 1st Tyrin Tasher, 2nd Edmund Camal, 3rd Sydney Belizaire, 4th Athlee Lozano, 5th Sherwin Roca.
Category B – 1st Phillip Burns, 2nd Sherman Thomas, 3rd David Interian, 4th Bob Gabourel, 5th Roque Matus.
Category C – 1st Santino the Chief, 2nd Isaiah Willacey, 3rd Barrington Bomber Young.