As dawn had yet to break over Belize on April 7, 2026, hundreds of cycling enthusiasts and elite riders gathered along the George Price Highway, ready for the kickoff of the nation’s most iconic and longest-running endurance cycling event: the 96th Holy Saturday Cross Country Classic. Held annually on Holy Saturday, this storied race blends decades of local tradition with world-class competitive spirit, drawing domestic athletes and international contenders alike to test their stamina, strategy, and mental grit across a grueling 70-plus mile route stretching from the George Price Highway to the nation’s capital Belmopan and ultimately finishing in Belize City.
When the starting gun fired, the dense peloton surged forward, settling immediately into a steady, blistering pace that would hold for the race’s opening stretches. Veteran riders knew all too well that early speed would mean nothing if they burned through their energy reserves before the final push, setting the tone for a race defined by tactical pacing as much as raw speed. The first major break came early, when Ignacio Prado, a Mexican rider competing for Team Canel’s Java, pulled away from the main group, snatching 12 intermediate station prizes before reaching the 16-mile mark. Prado’s lead would not hold, however, as Costa Rican contender Sebastian Calderon and Mexican rider Heriberto Gutierrez reeled him in, then pushed ahead of the pack together. The pair held the front through the stretch leading into the town of San Ignacio, collecting a combined 40 intermediate station prizes along their breakaway.
Shortly after entering San Ignacio, Calderon dropped Gutierrez, launching a solo effort that carried him all the way to the 46-mile mark just outside Belmopan, where he picked up an additional 30 station prizes alone. By the time the lead group rolled into the final stretch toward the finish line in Belize City, attrition had whittled the front pack down to just eight riders. The final mile unfolded at a measured, tense pace, with every rider conserving energy for the final sprint—until defending champion Jim Brown of Great Britain pulled away from the group, launching a late sprint that left the other seven contenders trailing in his wake. When he crossed the finish line, Brown secured his second consecutive victory at the classic, cementing his status as one of the race’s most successful recent international competitors. Prado crossed second to claim the runner-up spot, while Belize’s own Jyven Gonzalez rounded out the top three, finishing as the fastest domestic rider in the 2026 edition.
This year’s race made history for its speed: 11 riders, three of whom hail from Belize, finished within eight minutes of the event’s all-time course record, marking an unprecedented showing of high-level competition. In post-race interviews, Brown spoke to the grueling conditions, noting that the tropical heat pushed his body to its limit. “Absolutely cooked, absolutely cooked. The heat just gets to me, but apart from that I am good,” he said. Brown added that he actually saw the strong headwind on the return leg of the race as an advantage. “Actually I did not mind it. I think the wind in the face cools you down a bit. And it made the race harder. If you made a bit of a gap people are less willing to chase,” he explained. When asked about his game plan for the final mile, Brown shared that while he has always trusted his sprint, he entered the final push uncertain of the outcome. “I am always confident in my sprint but I do feel like guys out here are fast. I was not super confident but I was by myself and it worked out,” he said. Echoing the longstanding passion that surrounds the event, Brown added that the energy of local spectators made the second win just as meaningful as his first. “Just as good as last time. The people are passionate here. It makes you feel good how passionate everyone is and how everyone loves the race. I am just proud to be here and proud to win again,” he said.
For third-place finisher Jyven Gonzalez, the race was a testament to persistence in the face of adversity. The Belizean rider overcame not one but two tire punctures mid-race to secure a spot on the podium. “I love it because the country really take this race serious. This race just hard. It is super unpredictable. Anything could happen in the race. This is my fifth time riding the cross country and five out of five times I never ride this race and it goes smooth. But I signed up for this and it is cycling. Today was really tough for me and I never felt good at all,” he said. Gonzalez detailed his mid-race misfortunes: “I had a rear wheel puncture at mile thirty-five and as I caught back the field my front wheel puncture. I nuh wah like I blew my top for a while and I have to apologize with my service crew. I got frustrated with myself. But it is cycling and sometimes it is tough. Cycling wont be on your side all the time.”
From the pre-dawn starting line to the dramatic final sprint, the 96th iteration of the Holy Saturday Cross Country Classic once again lived up to its reputation as Belize’s most anticipated annual sporting event. This report was filed by Paul Lopez for News Five.
