分类： sports

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.

As one of the most anticipated annual sporting events in Belize, the 96th edition of the iconic Holy Saturday Cross Country Cycling Classic wrapped up in 2026 with stunning new course records and unexpected attention on anti-doping efforts designed to protect the sport’s integrity.

This year’s competition delivered historic results: after a dominant wire-to-wire victory in the women’s division, Bermuda’s Gabriella Arnold claimed the top spot on the podium. Reflecting on her win, Arnold shared that the race was one of the most challenging she had ever competed in, particularly the brutal headwind that plagued the final 20 miles as she rode alone at the front. This marked only Arnold’s second race in Belize, following a second-place finish at the Caribbean Championships hosted in the country last October, and she confirmed she plans to return to compete again in the future.

In the men’s race, eight cyclists broke the previous course record in an action-packed contest that came down to a final sprint. United Kingdom rider Jim Brown outpaced all seven of his rivals in the closing stretch to cross the finish line first. After the race, Brown spoke about the extreme heat that tested his endurance, though he noted the consistent headwind actually worked in his favor: any gap he opened up was harder for chasing riders to close, making his late surge more effective.

While the dramatic on-course action and broken records have drawn widespread excitement across Belize’s cycling community, they have also sparked questions about performance integrity. That is why Belize’s National Anti-Doping Organization (NADO) implemented a comprehensive, structured testing program for this year’s classic, stepping up oversight to guarantee every victory is earned fairly.

Charlie Slusher, director of Belize NADO, explained the organization’s testing protocol for top-tier events like the Cross Country Classic. NADO typically tests at least five riders per competition, using a mixed selection approach that includes top finishers, riders who turned in unexpectedly exceptional performances regardless of their final placement, and randomly selected competitors to ensure broad coverage. “It is about fairness. Everybody has an equal chance of winning,” Slusher emphasized. “Doping and using performance-enhancing substances is plain cheating, and it is unfair to sponsors who invest significant prize money and to fans who put their faith in clean competition.”

Beyond upholding competitive fairness, NADO’s work centers on protecting the long-term health of participating athletes. Slusher noted that many athletes who use banned substances take unsafe, excessive doses that can lead to chronic health complications later in life, including kidney and heart damage, even after they retire from competitive cycling. The organization also runs educational programs to help athletes understand the ever-evolving list of banned substances, ensuring they avoid accidental violations that would cost them their eligibility for international competition.

All samples collected at this year’s race are shipped to a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-accredited laboratory in the United States for analysis, a process that takes up to 14 working days to complete. To enforce full transparency, all prize money is being held by event organizers until all test results are finalized and released publicly. Slusher stressed that the open, WADA-supervised process eliminates any opportunity to hide or alter results, reinforcing the race’s commitment to clean sport.

For Belize’s most prestigious cycling event, maintaining integrity is key to attracting future participants and growing the sport across the region. NADO’s expanded oversight positions the organization as both a watchdog for fairness and a safeguard for athlete health, ensuring that the Cross Country Classic remains a event where speed, not cheating, takes the spotlight. This report was presented by Shane Williams for News Five.

The 96th edition of Belize’s iconic Holy Saturday Cross Country Cycling Classic, held on April 7, 2026, delivered a day of grit, historic milestones, and hard-fought competition that highlighted both athletic perseverance and the critical work of anti-doping oversight in national sport.

For 24-year-old rider Jyven Gonzalez, the race was far more than a competition—it was a test of mental and physical resilience that ended with a landmark achievement for his home country. Competing with the Legions of Los Angeles team, Gonzalez faced a cascade of setbacks that pushed him to the brink of abandoning the race. Around the 35-mile mark, he suffered a sudden rear-wheel puncture; just as he rejoined the peloton after repairs, a second flat hit his front wheel. The back-to-back mechanical failures left him visibly frustrated, and compounded by severe muscle cramps that left him struggling to maintain pace, Gonzalez admitted after the race that he came dangerously close to stepping out of the competition.

Adding to his late-race pressure was an unexpected fierce sprint challenge from Mexican rider Ignacio Prado Juárez, who ultimately secured second place in the overall standings. Prado Juárez echoed the sentiments of many competitors, describing the cross-country route as extraordinarily challenging and draining, saying he counted down the miles just to reach the finish line. But despite every obstacle, Gonzalez pushed through the pain, crossing the line to claim third place overall—and making history as the first Belizean rider ever to finish the elite Classic.

The overall title went to Jim Brown, who pulled off a tense narrow victory to defend his 2025 championship and secure back-to-back wins. Brown, who has already set his sights on a third consecutive title in 2027, acknowledged the unexpected intensity of this year’s race. While he remains confident in his signature sprint finish, Brown noted that the field was far faster and more competitive than in previous years, leaving him uncertain of his result right up until the final stretch of the route.

Beyond the on-course competition, the event also highlighted ongoing efforts to preserve the integrity of Belizean cycling. The National Anti-Doping Organization (NADO) of Belize maintained a full presence throughout the event, carrying out routine testing and monitoring to ensure a fair level playing field for all competitors. NADO director Charlie Slusher emphasized that the organization’s mission extends far beyond catching rule-breakers. “Doping is outright cheating,” Slusher explained, noting that it undermines the investments made by event sponsors and erodes trust in competition. Critically, he added, anti-doping rules also protect the long-term health of athletes: performance-enhancing drugs carry severe long-term risks, including permanent kidney and heart damage that can emerge years after an athlete retires from competition. “We’re not just policing the race—we’re protecting the people who compete in it,” Slusher said.