Hernando Cristobal closes in on the finish line to win first place in the road bike short course (50K) category of the 2024 Hell of the Marianas at the former Mariana Resort & Spa on Saturday morning.
HERNANDO Cristobal and Heather Brook topped their respective divisions in the road bike short course (50K) category of the 2024 Hell of the Marianas on Saturday.
The 50K short course stretched from the former Mariana Resort & Spa to Coral Ocean Resort, the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport and to Mobil Kagman before heading back to the starting point.
Cristobal finished first in the men’s division with a time of 1:42:31.
In an interview, he said, “The course was flat, and the only inclines were at As Terlaje hill and Papago, so it was much faster to race through, unlike the 100km race where they had a portion at the radar tower.”
Cristobal said the weather was good. “It didn’t rain so the road was nice. However, we did get kind of confused at the portion of the race at Ming Yang. We were directed straight but that was for the long course, so we had to turn around. That’s why we had to catch up again, so it was hard,” he added.
Overall, Cristobal was pleased to win first place. “It’s my first time winning this race. I don’t have much training, that’s why I just joined the 50km race instead of the 100km. Last year, I had more practice, so I joined the 100km race.”
In second place was Willy Barbo with a time of 1:44:04 followed by another local rider, Pax Guevarra, who clocked 1:44:07.
Women’s division
In the women’s division, Heather Brook finished first with a time of 1:49:05 while Korea’s Hyowoon Kim and Ha Song settled for second and third places at 1:52:18 and 1:53:12, respectively.
Mountain bike
In the mountain bike short course category, Michael Aparte led the men’s division with a time of 1:46:09 followed by Gerald Campos at 1:46:11, and Bryan Ytac at 1:46:37.
In the women’s division, Ariane Baculod claimed first place with a time of 1:41:38 while Kris Romero and Monique Mascarinas followed behind at 2:55:36 and 3:09:07, respectively.
The rest of the category winners will be featured in the next edition of Variety.
