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‘Cycling’s popularity on the rise’
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Posted on Jun 03 2008
No less than the Marianas Visitors Authority admitted that the popularity of cycling was the reason behind the staging of the Inaugural Ayuda Charity Mountain Bike Race last Saturday.
The American Memorial Park to Mount Tapochao off-road race was a nice bookend to Tourism Month celebrations last May, according to MVA public relations and community projects manager Martin Duenas
He added that when MVA was brainstorming about what events would be great to stage during Tourism Month, they quickly thought about cycling, especially the off-road type because of the recent popularity of the sport brought about by the islands’ annual hosting of the XTERRA Saipan Championship.
Duenas said, for certain, the Ayuda Charity Mountain Bike Race would return next year, but they would have to schedule it on a Sunday since a number of bikers failed to take part in Saturday’s event because of commitments at work.
In all, a total of 29 mountain bike enthusiasts took part in the Inaugural Ayuda Charity Mountain Bike Race.
Of the number, 20 were entered in the open category won by seasoned triathletes Butch Sublemente and Mieko Carey.
Sublemente reached the finish line at the American Memorial Park in 57:02, while Carey finished sixth overall and tops among women cyclists, timing in at 1:03:21.
Larry Malig and Nuradin Gutzwiller, meanwhile, won the side events of last Saturday’s competition.
Malig bested a six-person field in the eight-mile beginners’ category of the event in a time of 20:31, while Gutzwiller won over two other competitors in the two-mile competition for children after checking in at 10:53.
Proceeds from the Inaugural Ayuda Charity Mountain Bike Race will go into a charitable trust fund account that will provide an opportunity for non-profit organizations to submit a grant application.
Aside from MVA, the Inaugural Ayuda Charity Mountain Bike Race was also sponsored by Hyatt Regency Saipan.
Pacific Islands Club, Yano’s Ent., Inc., Saipan World Resort, Saipan Grand Hotel, Tasi Tours and Bus Transportation, Northern Marianas Athletics, Ross Quinn (who helped clear the course), and landowners in Mt. Tapochao were also critical in the event’s successful staging.
