Rotary holds inaugural End Polio Cycling Challenge

The Rotary Club of Saipan will be holding the Inaugural RCS- End Polio Cycling Challenge, a bike race that aims to raise funds to support the Rotarians’ world-wide “End Polio Now” campaign and to welcome Rotary International District 2750 governor Yoichiro Miyazaki to the island.

The bike race is set for Jan. 20 and coincides with the same week of Miyazaki’s visit, as the Tokyo, Japan resident will be on Saipan from Jan. 19 to 21.

Miyazaki oversees District 2750’s 98 Rotary clubs, including RCS, and close to 4,500 Rotarians.

An avid biker, Miyazaki uses his passion for this sport to raise awareness for “End Polio Now” initiative. Rotary clubs across the world have been raising funds for over 35 years to get rid of polio.

Being a founding partner of the “Global Polio Eradication Initiative,” efforts by Rotarians were instrumental in helping government officials make policy decisions that led to contributions of over $10 billion to support the campaign. For the Inaugural RCS-End Polio Cycling Challenge, all proceeds will be donated for the cause.

The bike race will start and end at Banzai Cliff and features three courses—30K (long course), 20K (short), and 400m (for U12 bikers). The 30K course will have bikers heading to Saipan Select and Bird Island before returning to Banzai, while the 20K course’s turnaround point is Saipan Select.

The shortest race—400m—will be within the vicinity of Banzai Cliff. Riders can choose from the following categories: E-bike, mountain bike, and road bike. There will be six age groups for the races, namely U12, U30, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, and 60-and-above. Entry fee is $15.

For winners selection, RCS will award the overall top finisher (men’s and women’s) in the 20K and 30K events. The Top 3 finishers (men’s and women’s) per category and age group will also be recognized, while each participant who will complete the race will receive finishers shirt. Check-in time is at 5:30am, while the race will kick off at 6:30am.

Raffle tickets will also be sold as additional support to the “End Polio Now” initiative. Raffle tickets will be three for $5 and prizes include a variety of gift certificates and a Samsung A7 tablet. Raffle tickets can be purchased from any member of the Interact, Rotaract or Rotary Club of Saipan.

Registration, on the other hand, can be done at Bike Pro, The Bike Shop, Latte Built, or MegaByte. Online registration is also available at www.webscorer.com/register?raceid=339057 with payments received on site or can be turned over upon race kit pick-up on Friday, Jan. 19, from 5pm to 7pm, at the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan.

For more information on the bike race, raffle tickets or to donate, reach out to event chair Charles Cepeda at charlesvcepeda@gmail.com or call (670) 483-6435. (PR)