Yoichiro Miyazaki
THE Rotary Club of Saipan will hold the 1st Annual RCS-End Polio Cycling Challenge, which 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. The Tokyo resident will be on Saipan from Jan. 19 to 21.
Miyazaki oversees District 2750’s 98 Rotary Clubs, including Saipan’s, and close to 4,500 Rotarians.
An avid biker, Miyazaki uses his passion for this sport to raise awareness for the “End Polio Now” initiative.
Rotary clubs across the world have been raising funds for over 35 years to get rid of polio. As founding partners of the “Global Polio Eradication Initiative,” Rotarians were instrumental in helping government officials make policy decisions that led to contributions of over $10 billion to support the campaign.
For the 1st Annual RCS-End Polio Cycling Challenge, all proceeds will be donated to 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 participate in any of the following categories: E-bike, mountain bike, and road bike. There will be six age groups for the races: U12, U30, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, and 60-and above. The entry fee is $15.
The Rotary Club of Saipan 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 a finisher’s shirt. Check-in time is at 5:30 a.m. and the race will kick off at 6:30 a.m.
Raffle tickets will also be sold as additional support for the “End Polio Now” initiative. You can buy three raffle tickets for $5. 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 Clubs of Saipan.
You can register at Bike Pro, The Bike Shop, Latte Built or MegaByte. Online registration is also available at https://shorturl.at/lpKNW
The kit pick-up is on Friday, Jan. 19, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan.
For more information, email event chair Charles Cepeda at charlesvcepeda@gmail.com or call (670) 483-6435.
