Wednesday 8 June 2011

Cycling tourney all set

A cycling event featuring 61 riders will be staged in the New Ireland Province this weekend in what is being hailed as a first ever international event in PNG.
The “Tour Long Malagan” is tipped to become PNG’s most iconic cycling event staged on the Boluminski Highway with a scenic backdrop along the sun bleached shores.
The event will be held this Saturday and Sunday (June 11-12) with riders coming from clubs in Port Moresby, Ok Tedi, Goroka, Manus, Kokopo, Australia and Kavieng.
The event is truly international with cyclists of different nationalities from PNG, South Africa, Algeria, Argentina and Australia. The PNG mix is also diverse with riders from Kavieng, Lae, Manus, Kerema, the Highlands, Bougainville, East New Britain and Central. Of the 61 cyclists, 17 are females.
The event will cover more than 180 kilometres from Pam in the Namatanai district to Kavieng over the days. 
The event will pump money into the tourism sector through the guesthouses hosting the riders along the highway and the community groups and schools providing the refreshment stops.
Event organisers, Up South Events, are working closely with the New Ireland Tourism Bureau to make this event a success to promote cycling as a tourism product in the province. NITB also plans to use this event to showcase riding as healthy lifestyle awareness against diabetes.
Competitors have started arriving in Kavieng with the Manus and the Lae peddle power team already in the province. The rest from Port Moresby, Goroka, Ok Tedi and Australia will arrive later this week.
The event will be run in two categories – Road Racers and the Mountain Bike (MTB) category.


source: http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20110608/ispost04.htm

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