7 News Belize

The Pageantry Of Cross Country
posted (April 17, 2014)
The Holy Saturday Cross Country Cycling Classic is the only certifiably epic event on the annual sporting calendar. And that is because of its history, but it's also because of the pageantry - the colors and the character of the men and their machines. Today as an annual pre-race event, the Cycling Federation arranged a Cycling Parade. We stopped by to speak to a few of the local cyclists about their level of preparedness:

Darnell Barrow, 2013 Cross Country Champ
"I feeling very amazing and I've been doing all my training so I feel confident right now; myself and my team has been training very hard. I have a good team support to back me up to defend my title, so feeling good."

Daniel Ortiz
"Tell us about the pressure? Every Belizean wants to see a Belizean take the garland and you done it last year and now the pressure is on you to keep it, so how do you deal with that?"

Darnell Barrow
"There is no pressure, it's not my first cross country I've been riding, so I know what to do and how to ride, so I just let the race come to me and hope for the best."

Byron Pope
"According to our team plan then I should know how the race will play out when it gets on the way."

Daniel Ortiz
"What does one do to prepare for a race as big as this?"

Byron Pope
"A lot of hard work and dedication. It isn't just this month I am preparing for cross country, its a long time. It starts from the off season with the 3 months gym work, 3 months jogging - all of that I use as build up to use up towards this cross country."

Daniel Ortiz
"What do you do as an athlete for the last two days before this race happens?"

Byron Pope
"Two days isn't enough, you need like a week - two weeks of proper resting, eating properly, hydrating to time to be able to compete for this race."

Greg Lovell
"This week I did a lot of spinning, a lot of slow ride - I just take it easy because only a week away there is nothing you can gain going to the cross country."

Daniel Ortiz
"Tell us about your team's preparedness and fitness for the cross country? Are you guys confident in the work you put in?"

Greg Lovell
"We have a very excellent Belizean team and we are all ready. We have Marlon Castillo, Joel Borland and also Geovanni and with the help of Leroy Cassasola and George Junior to help us out there getting our water and make sure we get our food on time. Marlon and I will go in the race really hard."

Marlon Castillo
"Everybody was training in the race these past two months so I think everyone is in good condition, but I don't know foreigners riders, some of them I haven't rode with before but we will see how they stand after 140 miles."

Joel Borland
"I think my team is fully prepared. From earlier in the year we did most of our based miles and the basic cross country training that you need to go the long distances."

Daniel Ortiz
"Tell us about your role in the team?"

Joel Borland
"Definitely I am prepared to play a supporting role for my team leaders Greg Lovell and Marlon Castillo. I think they are the more experience riders and they know how to ride this race. I am 19 years old, my time will come, but for now I am riding for them."

Saturday's race will feature 80 Belizean riders and 27 foreign riders. It starts at 5:50 a.m., and rolls off from the BTL Park, where it makes its way around the City at a moderate pace. When they get to Leslie's Imports, the riders will make their surge forward where the race officially starts.

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