With a distance of 100 kilometer, Japanese lady named Kiyoko Takahashi was apparently up to the test when she got the best time of three hours fifty one minutes and fourteen seconds (3:53:14) against a full pack of male counterparts to win this year’s bike time trail that ran through the compact road big island, Babeldoab. Shocking as it may seem, Takahashi did not show any signs of slowing down on her pace as she kicked the pedal of her lightweight bike up the hills and cruised down the paved road to finish the race as first place. Trailing her is a male cyclist, Masayuki Matumaru who came to end the same course at a time of 4:47:40 to get second place, while being trailed by Satoshi Namekata’s time of 4:48:03 who settled for third.
In the meantime, the only Palauan national who bravely signed up for the race was Franz Webster who was sprawling behind first place winner Takahashi in the middle of the distance was hampered due to leg cramps still managed to finish as 10th place. Despite of his misfortune, Webster showed courage as this is his first ever experience for a local to go a 100 KM long distance bike challenge and yet he was able to finish in top ten ranks from a handful list of participants.
The Shell Rainbow Bike Challenge was made possible through the unending support of Shell Palau, Palau Pacific Resort, Continental Airlines, and different association who helped in putting up the two day event namely the Belau Triathlon Federation, Palau Swimming Association, the Palau National Olympic Committee, and the KFC Triathlon Club in Japan.
