ONE of the highlights of this year’s Tinian Pika Festival was the 7th Annual 50k Bike Race with Rodelo Lagunay, Joel Buco and Jay Anne Felipe topping their respective divisions Saturday.
Rodela Lagunay, a resident of Tinian, finished first in the mountain bike category.
Last year, the Star Marianas Air employee had a flat tire, but this time he did not encounter any misfortune as he finished the race with a time of 01:55:27.
“The race was not so easy because of the bad weather — the road was slippery; but I was lucky,” he said. “I’m happy winning the race — this is the fruit of my hard work. Because I wanted to win, I pushed myself to practice whenever I had the time.”
Back-to-back champion Joel Buco of Saipan won the gold in the men’s open division by clocking 01:40:22 while Jay Anne Felipe, also from Saipan, stole the show in the women’s open division by finishing first overall.
“It was a bit difficult this time because of the climb up, but I managed to cope,” Buco said. “The route is so hard so I’m so happy with the results.”
Felipe also had a tough time with the bumpy roads and inclement weather but still pulled through with a time of 02:07:27.
“In terms of the trail, which was 51 kms, it was very challenging as I used a road bike and the route was bumpy and had many pot holes. Although it was an arduous journey, overall, the experience was exciting and inspirational as I have learned to push my limits and exceed expectations.” she said.
Jay Ann Felipe poses before the start of the 7th Annual Pika Bike Race on Tinian Saturday. She topped the women’s open division
Tinian Mayor Edwin P. Aldan poses, left, poses for a photo with Rodelo Lagunay, center, who won the gold in the 7th Annual Pika Bike Race on Saturday.
Joel Buco, center, won the gold in the men’s open division of the 7th Annual Pika Bike Race on Tinian Saturday. Also in photo are the other medalists, Renren Gaviola and Mark Isip.
