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The Belmopan Cycling Classic is the last major race before the Holy Saturday Cross Country Cycling Classic. So while that’s the main course, the Belmopan Classic provided a tasty appetizer on Sunday. 7News was on the road.

Jules Vasquez Reporting,
59 riders started the 29th. Annual Belmopan Cycling Classic on a cool march morning.
At the starting line Peter Choto was ready and defending champion Giovanni Froggy Leslie and the favorite going in Marlon Castillo.

The race started out from Constitution Park and at the entrance to Hattieville the pelathon remained compact no dramatic breakaways. Coming round Gracie Rock the pack was intact. By mile 29 there was a break featuring Marconi Duran Ernest Meighan and Peter Choto. At mile 44, Nieves Carasco, Jose Choto, Luigi Urbina, Miguel Perez were chasing Gregory Lovell.

While he was getting serviced by his team manager, the logic of Lovell’s early break eluded most observers – the race featured no station prizes – and Lovell is s sprinter designed to conserve his energy at the back, not to lead a one man breakaway. But he was determined to keep the lead and at the entrance to Belmopan – Greg Lovell rolled in all alone – with the chase over a minute behind. Lovell whipped around Ring Road to lead out of Belmopan.

The pack coming out of Belmopan had no sense of urgency but there was a chase pack behind Greg Lovell and somewhere around mile 45 they caught up with him – so the lead group is once again 5,

And by the time we reached mile 42 Jose Choto of Western Spirit had broken away from that group with the four chasers behind him who don’t seem intent to follow after Choto. These four would never catch up to Jose Choto again but instead would be swallowed up by the pelethon.

The time check at mile 40 reveled that the chase group of four was two minutes three seconds behind and the main pelethon was four minutes 19 seconds behind In the meantime, that Jose Choto on a mission. As race leader he got benefits like roadside water. But by mile 31 Choto wasn’t so comfortable as he was being pursued by Froggy Leslie who is being pursued by a group of four these including Guatemalan Luis Santizo, Roger Troyer, Cota Rican Nieves Carasco and Peter Choto.

While the main pelethon still carried no sense of urgency. At mile 26 Jose Choto’s lead is a mere one minute thirteen seconds laboring under a strong headwind at mile 24 hill. Somewhere around mile 23 Jose Choto was finally caught so the lead breakaway was increased to 6 men strong – two from Team Santino’s Roger Troyer and Froggy Leslie, two Zamir Peter Choto And Luis Santizo, one Benny’s Megabytes – Neives Carasco And One Western Spirit – Jose Choto.

At Hattieville the lead group of 6 remains intact. Around mile 12 Guatemalan Luis Santizo launched an attack but he would soon be caught and at mile 10 Roger Troyer launched one of his own. But he too would be reeled in so at the Burdon Canal Bridge we have the same group of 6 headed towards Belize City led by Luis Santizo. Around mile three and a half Costa Rican Nieves Carasco launches an attack – Froggy and the other 5 respond immediately.

However two miles later at the finish line at Leslie’s Imports the solitary figure of 19 year old Peter Choto of Team Zamir is the one at the finish line in four hours twenty minutes 13 seconds.

In the sprint for second Giovanni Froggy Leslie Santino’s easily Beats Out Jose Choto Of Western Spirit who had to settle for third.

Roger Troyer of Team Santino’s crossed the line fourth, Luis Santizo Team Zamir fifth and Nieves Carrasco Of Benny Megabytes was last in the sprint. Notably, Belizeans captured the top four places but there were only 8 foreign riders in the race and all 8 foreigners were riding for one of the Belizean teams. On the junior side – Melvin Tillett of team C-Ray was first in the 60 mile race – Daniel Choto Of Cayo High Road was second And third Was Kyle Gentle of Cayo High Road. In the female category Shalini Zabaneh continued her dominance winning the 50 mile ride in 2:29:54 while Sheena Castillo pulled up second and Fiona Humes third.