LA Sweat’s American Regina Doty wins 33rd Annual PUMA Women’s Cross Country Cycling Classic

Published by [email protected] at March 24, 2024

Posted: Sunday, March 24, 2024. 11:49 am CST.

LA Sweat’s American Regina Doty ahead of Williams Racing’s Mexican Julyn Águila by Sunset Park at Mile 8 ½ – Photo Credit: Rubén Morales Iglesias:

By Rubén Morales Iglesias: LA Sweat’s American Regina Doty won the 73-mile 33^rd Annual PUMA Women’s Cross Country Cycling Classic from San Ignacio to Belize City on Sunday in just under 3 hours and 20 minutes.

LA Sweat’s Elizabeth Stevenson was third.

Doty pulled away from Williams Racing’s Mexican Julyn Águila just ahead of the finish line at the Digi Park on Barracks Road in Belize City.

Doty and Águila separated themselves from seven other riders who led the race from just before St Matthews at Mile 38 and never looked back coming into Belize City alone.

By Mile 10 they had opened an eight-minute plus gap ahead of the seven, including Belizean Kaya Cattouse riding for LA Sweat.

The others were Williams Racing Cycling Team’s Trinidadian Alexis Ramirez, Jamaican Lori Sharpe, and American Mary Joyce Monton and LA Sweat’s Americans Mia Scarlato and Stevenson, and Mexican Kala García Arrache.

Very early in the Women’s Cross Country Cycling Classic, Belizeans Gabrielle Gabourel of G-Flow and Nathalie Lovell of Team Lovell Cycling were dropped after Lovell had taken the initial station prizes.

Pack of seven trailing front two by Sunset Park at Mile 8 ½ – Photo Credit: Rubén Morales Iglesias

Sharpe and Stevenson led by 45 seconds when they passed the Belmopan junction but their lead, which started at Camalote, was short lived.

A total of 11 riders, three Belizeans and eight foreigners, started this morning’s race in Cayo.

In the first half hour, Williams Racing Cycling Team set the pace.

Kaya Cattouse, conserving energy, was at the tail end of the race early on but kept herself in contention.

At Teakettle, the riders were recording 30-miles per hour speeds.

Águila attacked in Teakettle but an LA Sweat rider tagged her. Ramirez was next to attack but the peloton didn’t let her go.

After a series of attacks, LA Sweat’s Stevenson and Williams Racing’s Sharpe pulled away going into Camalote, but were caught soon after.

The next attack led to Doty and Águila getting away.

The record of 3:07:29 set in 2003 by Mexican Brenda Aguayo still stands.

This year’s race offered 47 station prizes apart from the $4,100 finish prize for Doty which also features a gift basket and the traditional garland. The majority of the station prizes were captured by Doty and Águila.

Second place winner Águila will receive $1,750 and a gift basket, and third place Stevenson will get $1,150 and a gift basket.

The CFB is also offering $500 for the first Category 4/5 winner Gabrielle Gabourel. Only Gabourel and Lovell were Cat 4/5. All the other seven cyclists range from Categories 1 to 3.

Main sponsor Puma put up $6,000 in prizes: $3,000 for 1^st place, $1,500 for second, $1,000 for third, and $500 for the Category 4/5 winner.

(This article was updated to include the third place rider and the first Category 4/5 cyclist to complete the race.)

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