Members of Team NMI pose with their placement medals after completing the 2023 Tour of Guam on Sunday.
The NMI’s Kathy Ruszala smiles as she takes on the long course of the 2023 Tour of Guam on Sunday.
NMI cyclists won several medals in the 105km distance of the 2023 Tour of Guam on Sunday, Dec. 10.
Robyn Spaeth and Wilfredo Barbo, who topped their respective divisions, led the list of NMI winners.
Spaeth is no rookie in the annual event and this time she came out on top in the 40-49 age group of the women’s division with a time of 4:01:20 followed by South Korea’s Seongyeon Cho at 4:36:35 and the NMI’s Kathy Ruszala in third place at 4:42:58.
“I am really happy with my ride this weekend,” Spaeth said. “Last week, during the Hell of the Marianas, I had a pretty good fall that left me both physically and physiologically shaken. I stayed off my bike all week, hoping to heal, and even second-guessed going on the trip. In the end, I decided to go with the mindset to just try to finish. But once I got out there, I started to feel better and wanted to try to beat my time from last year. I wasn’t able to do it though because I was very apprehensive when going downhill. But overall, I am really happy with my ride and I am so proud of the NMI team! So many of us were able to podium in our age groups,” Spaeth added.
She said the course condition was good. The sprinkles contributed to her reluctance to cruise downhill, but overall the weather held up, she added.
“The Tour de Guam is a beautiful course, and the Guam riders are always so welcoming and supportive…. I would [also] like to thank [the NMI Cycling Federation] for asking us to be to be a part of this year’s convoy to Guam. It truly was a great experience. And of course, huge thanks to my family for always supporting me in my biking endeavors.”
Ruszala, for her part, said “placing in my age group…totally caught me by surprise, but in the best way possible. It adds an extra layer of accomplishment to the event.”
She said the “course this year was just as gorgeous as the previous year. Tough but not as tough as the [Hell of the Marianas]. It did showcase Guam’s beauty with their rolling mountains and ocean views. Riding through villages was my favorite — the local support with music and cheers made me ride just a little harder. The competition was fierce, and while the race remains predominantly male, I’m happy to see an increasing presence of strong female riders. Perhaps my nerves were tempered by last week’s challenging Hell of the Marianas ride.”
Barbo dominated the 60-69 age group and crossed the finish line with a time of 4:18:01. “It’s a great feeling to finish the Tour of Guam in a long course and be first place in my age category,” Barbo said. “I think this time was better than last year because the original route was back, and the weather was better than before. We had a lot of fun this time.”
Arvin Velasco, also of the NMI, placed second in the 30-39 age group of the men’s division with a time of 3:32:22. “First of all I just want to thank God that we all finished safe,” he said. “I didn’t expect to win or place in my age category coming to this race, especially since this is my first time joining the event.”
He was not familiar with the course, which made it even tougher. “I really didn’t have a strategy or plan on when to go hard or when to pace it. And then Hell of the Marianas was just last week so my body was still not 100% race ready. But I will definitely join again next year with a goal of beating my time this year,” he said.
Another NMI cyclist, Ponciano Corotan, placed second in the 60-69 age group with a time of 4:33:23 followed by Nomer Mangalinao in third at 4:33:28.
Also participating under the NMI flag were Rusty Valino who clocked 4:20:33 in the 50-59 age group; Enrique Suba at 4:33:15; Jay Diyco at 5:07:49; and Ravenal “Jojo” Valacia, who completed the 42km distance with a time of 1:42:04.
