“I Almost Give Up”: Jyven Gonzalez’s Push to Cross Country Finish Line

Despite cramps and fatigue and mechanical issues, 24-year-old Jyven Gonzalez pushed through to become the first Belizean to finish the 96th Holy Saturday Cross Country Cycling Classic. He claimed third place overall riding for the Legions of Los Angeles.

“I got a rear-wheel puncture around mile 35. And literally as I get back on the field, the front wheel gets a puncture. I won’t lie, it kind of blow my top and get a little bit frustrated… but I just have to push through and fight,” he told News 5.

He added, “Honestly, I almost give up… I mi dih really cramp bad.” He said the pressure he faced against Mexican cyclist Ignacio Prado Juárez at the last sprint took him by surprise.

Prado Juárez managed to secure second place and described the race as “very difficult” and “very long… I just wanted to finish already,” he said.

Back-to-back champion Jim Brown claimed this year’s title and is already eyeing a third straight win next year. “Honestly, I’m always confident in my sprint, but I do feel that guys out here really are fast, so I was not super confident this time,” he said after edging a tightly contested finish to defend his title.

Meanwhile, the National Anti-Doping Organization (NADO) of Belize was also present throughout the race, carrying out its role in maintaining a level playing field, monitoring competitors and reinforcing anti-doping standards in one of the country’s biggest sporting events.

NADO’s director, Charlie Slusher, said that their work goes beyond catching violations, stating, “Because doping and using performance drugs is really cheating, and it’s sad for all sponsors to put up all this money for someone to come and cheat and take it away… One of the most important things is that it’s about protecting the athlete also from the dangers of these drugs… We are protecting them from the dangers because a lot of them might have complications down the road when they stop riding or biking – kidneys, hearts, all kinds of issues.”