Holy Saturday Cross Country Cycling Classic: Looking back at the Top 10 of the 93rd edition claimed by 501 Valvoline’s Oscar Quiroz in 5:43:19

(L to R) Cory Williams (2^nd), Oscar Quiroz (1^st), and Jonathan Brown (3^rd) in 2023 Holy Saturday Cross Country Cycling Classic- Photo Credit: William George Ysaguirre

By Rubén Morales Iglesias: As Valvoline’s Oscar Quiroz, Jr. gets ready to defend the garland he won in the  93^rd Holy Saturday Cross Country Cycling Classic on April 8, 2023, here’s a look at the Top Ten riders who completed the race that left Belizeans ecstatic that a Belizean won the race against the foreign competition.

Quiroz won the 139.9-mile race, which dates back to 1928 when the road to Cayo was just a ‘picado’, and now organized by the Cycling Federation of Belize (CFB), which was born out of that expeditionary race, riding solo across the finish line on Newtown Barracks by the Digi Park in Belize City in five hours, 43 minutes, and 19 second (5:43:19).

As usual since the start was changed from 5:00 am a number of years ago, the 93^rd edition of Belize Holy Grail of cycling started at 6:00 am in Belize City, headed to San Ignacio, eight miles from the Guatemalan border, and returned to Belize City with Oscar finishing just before midday at Digi Park right where it started.

Belizean American Cory Williams of L39ion of Los Angeles, now riding for the Miami Blazers, was second in 5:44:41, one minute and 22 seconds behind.

Quiroz’s Miami Blazers teammate (Quiroz had started riding internationally for the US team) Jonathan ‘Johnny’ Brown crossed the finish line in third place, clocking the same time as Williams.

Skyline’s American John DeLong, who had finished second in 2022, was next in line in fourth place stopping the clock in 5:49:41, 6:22 behind Quiroz.

Osvaldo Mora of Team Mora, surprisingly the only Mexican in the race, was fifth in 5:50:07 (+ 6:48).

93^rd Holy Saturday Cross Country Cycling Classic champion Oscar Quiroz – Photo Credit: By Rubén Morales Iglesias:

The top three Under 23 riders came in next one after the other.

Under 23 winner, Henry Li of the Rolling Shattaz-BZ Boyz finished sixth in 5:50:23 (+7:04)

Seventh place was taken by second-place U-23 rider American Shay Wright of Kelly Benefits clocked 5:50:23 (+7:04).

The fourth Belizean, G-Flow’s Jyven Gonzalez, rode in eighth in 5:50:24 (+7:05) and in third place in the U-23 category.

One of this year’s hopefuls, Giovanni Lovell of the Lovell Cycling Team was timed at 5:50:51 (+7:32) in ninth place. Lovell was the fifth Belizean in the Top Ten.

2005 winner American Bill Elliston rounded off the Top 10 in 5:50:51 (+7:32).

The 2023 CFB’s official results showed that 62 out of the 107 who started, finished the 93^rd running for the prized garland. However, only 51 finished within the time limit. Four of the 111 registered didn’t start the race.

Apart from Li winning the U-23 Category in 5:50:23, FAL Cycling Team’s Brandon Morgan was the Elite Category 3 winner clocking 6:01:06.

Angel Tzib of Westrac Alliance took the top spot in the Masters 35+ in 6:01:16.

Denroy Langford of PMA was the Masters 4/5 Category winner in 6:02:45. He was also third in the Masters 35+.

G-Flow’s Goran Gabourel, who finished 12^th overall, clinched the Youngest Rider Category in 5:50:51.

Here’s the complete list of the 93^rd Holy Saturday Cross Country Cycling Classic Official Results, courtesy the Belize Cycling Federation:

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