Previous Story
Garcia finishes second in Tinian bike race
|
Posted on May 17 2012
Ariel Garcia finished second place to Nep Dizon in the open division of the 2012 Tinian Fiesta Bike Race held last May 5.
Lewie Tenorio was earlier credited for the runner-up finish but the many time CNMI national triathlon team member was disqualified for taking a wrong turn on the course.
“Early in the race I dropped from first to 10th position after I flatted out not even 10 kilometers from the start, but after a quick tube change I was able to work my way to fourth position somewhere near the 32-kilometer marker. It was after this, at one of the intersections out in the boonies where I took a wrong turn that unfairly put me at the lead,” he said in a recent email to the Saipan Tribune.
Tenorio elaborated, “Organizers caught up to me almost two miles from the wrong turn where, by that time, any attempt to make up for the misdirection would be a hindrance to the other riders. So since I couldn’t make up for the lost section the organizers and myself agreed to my disqualification.”
Garcia eventually received runner-up honors in the open field with a of 2:52:3. He finished fifth overall out of 43 participants. Dizon led all cyclists with a time of 2:38:33, while Joann Salazar won the women’s division after crossing the finish line in 4:09:52.
The 2012 Tinian Fiesta Bike Race consisted of a 65-kilometer course around Tinian that started and ended at Suicide Cliff. The Tinian Mayor’s Office, Don Farrell, and the Tinian Department of Land and Natural Resources organized the competition.
