Thursday: Race Day -
Women's Race:
Lori was our lone female team member representing the Hincapie/Gary Fisher/Barkley Team in the abbreviated 60 mile womens version of the race. After a Builder Bar breakfast, her race left at 9:00 combined with the Jr's field. She spent most of her race chasing attacks and breaks with the Jrs in order to form seperation with her other female racers, which included Shalini Z. (winner of the 2008 race). Lori, not known for her sprinting knew that she had to lead out the sprint into town as fast as she could. She took a great line through the round-about and held off her other girls to the line for the WIN! After a little post race interview with KREM Radio and Belize Channel 5 TV, Lori was presented with her monster trophy, prize money, Championship ring, and Sheep (yeap, she won a sheep as a prime on the road!) Big props to good ol' "sucki-suck" for her biggest win to date!!!
Men's Race:
Monte, David and I roll out to breakfast at Melin's house in Orange Walk, eggs over easy, fried ham and tortillas at 5:30am. We leave for the race at 7:00 after I had already made 3 pit stops at the bathroom...a little Montazuma zoom zoom action. Lori's (aka sucki suck) race leaves from Orange Walk so she got a little more sleep time. We stop on the road about 6 miles from the startline at the Mexico boarder and get our bikes ready and suited up. I duck out into the sugar cane fields with a newspaper for round #4. After riding to the start we sign in and go through the pre-race check up and find some shade. Race starts...crazy! Full on cat 5 action. Moto official dumps his bike just in front of the pack, we are bunny hopping speedbumps, dodging chickens and stray dogs, caravan traffic, sugar cane...you name it. Entering Corazal the road looks like a mine field of potholes. Chris and I both loose all of our water bottles, and our sprinter, Mateo flats his front wheel. I dropped back with 2 teammates to get him, but he is nowhere in site and chase back on through the maddening caravan (Repeat step 1 three more times!) After my third time dropping back for my sprinter, I closed the gap back to the field and a crash of 10-15 guys blocks the road. I run off the left side of the road to avoid running into the moto official, and get bogged down in a ditch in the cane fields (this is where my race went south). I spent the next 5 miles or so trying to chase back on to no avail through Orange Walk. Monte is in a 5 man break at this point and the race is going fast into town for the $1000 prime. Monte takes a narrow 2nd for the prime and his break gets caught. David goes back to the caravan for water, eats bumper and crashes into a service vehicle while pacing up. I settle in for a lonley 55 mile ride to Belize City with no water. Marlon (Team Santinos) attacks just past Crooked Tree towards Belize City which puts us on the defensive. Monte and Nery set up a strong chase at 28-30mph for the next 5+ miles but can't close to the leader up the road. They pull the 2nd group of about 20 riders to the line and get passed in the sprint for 11th and 12th place, with Jose Choto taking trophies for 1st master and Chris 3rd place master.
Women's Race:
Lori was our lone female team member representing the Hincapie/Gary Fisher/Barkley Team in the abbreviated 60 mile womens version of the race. After a Builder Bar breakfast, her race left at 9:00 combined with the Jr's field. She spent most of her race chasing attacks and breaks with the Jrs in order to form seperation with her other female racers, which included Shalini Z. (winner of the 2008 race). Lori, not known for her sprinting knew that she had to lead out the sprint into town as fast as she could. She took a great line through the round-about and held off her other girls to the line for the WIN! After a little post race interview with KREM Radio and Belize Channel 5 TV, Lori was presented with her monster trophy, prize money, Championship ring, and Sheep (yeap, she won a sheep as a prime on the road!) Big props to good ol' "sucki-suck" for her biggest win to date!!!
Men's Race:
Monte, David and I roll out to breakfast at Melin's house in Orange Walk, eggs over easy, fried ham and tortillas at 5:30am. We leave for the race at 7:00 after I had already made 3 pit stops at the bathroom...a little Montazuma zoom zoom action. Lori's (aka sucki suck) race leaves from Orange Walk so she got a little more sleep time. We stop on the road about 6 miles from the startline at the Mexico boarder and get our bikes ready and suited up. I duck out into the sugar cane fields with a newspaper for round #4. After riding to the start we sign in and go through the pre-race check up and find some shade. Race starts...crazy! Full on cat 5 action. Moto official dumps his bike just in front of the pack, we are bunny hopping speedbumps, dodging chickens and stray dogs, caravan traffic, sugar cane...you name it. Entering Corazal the road looks like a mine field of potholes. Chris and I both loose all of our water bottles, and our sprinter, Mateo flats his front wheel. I dropped back with 2 teammates to get him, but he is nowhere in site and chase back on through the maddening caravan (Repeat step 1 three more times!) After my third time dropping back for my sprinter, I closed the gap back to the field and a crash of 10-15 guys blocks the road. I run off the left side of the road to avoid running into the moto official, and get bogged down in a ditch in the cane fields (this is where my race went south). I spent the next 5 miles or so trying to chase back on to no avail through Orange Walk. Monte is in a 5 man break at this point and the race is going fast into town for the $1000 prime. Monte takes a narrow 2nd for the prime and his break gets caught. David goes back to the caravan for water, eats bumper and crashes into a service vehicle while pacing up. I settle in for a lonley 55 mile ride to Belize City with no water. Marlon (Team Santinos) attacks just past Crooked Tree towards Belize City which puts us on the defensive. Monte and Nery set up a strong chase at 28-30mph for the next 5+ miles but can't close to the leader up the road. They pull the 2nd group of about 20 riders to the line and get passed in the sprint for 11th and 12th place, with Jose Choto taking trophies for 1st master and Chris 3rd place master.
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