On a race day that delivered high drama and unexpected twists, the 25th edition of the BEL Junior Cross Country Cycling Classic concluded Sunday with two new champions crowned: Keith Enwright Junior pulled off a stunning upset in the men’s division, while Irani Baki defended her title in an unchallenged women’s performance.
The 30-rider men’s field, which featured five international competitors — two from Mexico, two from Guatemala, and one from the Cayman Islands — departed the Succotz Ferry in Belize’s Cayo District early Sunday morning, kicking off a long-distance race that would shift dramatically across its route. By the 35-mile mark, the race kicked into high gear when young rider Amaad Cherington made a bold solo breakaway, pulling ahead of the peloton by an approximately three-minute gap. Cherington held his lead alone for more than 12 miles, but a small chase group of four riders reeled him in just 12 miles out from the finish line in Belize City. The final lead group that entered the city limits included three riders from G Flow, Griga Cycling’s Jamaal Tablada, and international competitor Ryan Thompson of the Cayman Islands.
As the race entered its closing stretch, Cherington continued to set the pace at the front of the lead group, but Enwright Jr. launched a sudden, powerful surge from the back of the pack in the final meters, crossing the line first to claim the unexpected win. Thompson crossed second, while Tablada rounded out the top three. Even after his victory, Enwright Jr. said he never expected to take the top spot heading into the final sprint. “I had no faith in myself… I am not a sprinter,” he told reporters after the race. “But when I saw the rider from Cayman coming, I knew I could not let him win.”
“To be honest, I just feel shocked. I don’t understand how I did that,” he added.
In the women’s junior race, 17-year-old defending champion Irani Baki dominated the route from Roaring Creek to Belize City, never facing a serious challenge from the field as she successfully retained her 2025 title. Despite her win, Baki expressed disappointment over the lack of close competition Sunday, noting that she rode alone for nearly the entire race and had hoped for a more competitive contest. The young cyclist is coming off a competing in the open Women’s Cross Country race two weeks prior, and is currently gearing up for an upcoming training trip to Paris.
Full highlights of the race will be broadcast this evening on News 5 Live at 6 p.m.