Claudine Housen, Staff Reporter

WESTERN BUREAU:

Montego Bay Rotary East is calling for 'celebrities' to participate in its inaugural celebrity riding competition.

The latest addition to the offerings of the Montego Bay Rotary East Bikeathon/Jamaica Challenge 2007, the celebrity riding competition is meant to augment the annual fundraising activities through individual sponsorship.

"The riders themselves can either make contributions to ride or they can get persons to sponsor them, but they will need to register with us so that they can get legitimate sponsorship forms," explained event coordinator, Mrs. Marline Stephenson-Dalley.

"We are inviting some of our politicians and our business leaders to come out and, by their participation, underscore the importance of racing for such a worthy cause."

A 'celebrity' in her own right as, 'the Schools' Challenge Quiz lady', Mrs. Stephenson-Dalley has already pledged her support for the cause.

"The bikeathon target for this year is $1 million," she said. "I have already gotten $7,000 out of my $ 50,000 target for my five-kilometre ride."

Noting that there were some 200 cyclists who participated in last year's competition, Mrs. Stephenson-Dalley said that the team was working assiduously to increase that figure by at least 50 per cent.

"It is anticipated that with the steps taken by the Jamaica Cycling Federation to register cyclists across the island, and to track their development, that we should see an increase in the number of pro-ams," Mrs. Stephenson-Dalley said.

Direct marketing

"We have been in contact with all the cycling clubs across Jamaica and we are also doing some direct marketing to a lot of our schools across the parish so we anticipate that a lot more children will come out and participate."

Scheduled for Sunday, April 22, the Montego Bay Bikeathon 2007 will be hosted under the theme 'Cycling for Education, Cycling for a Cause'.

Back to its original one-day format the competition will be start and finish at the Fairview Shopping Centre in Montego Bay.

The route will take professionals and amateurs on a 75-kilometre ride to Lucea, Hanover and back. The recreational cyclists will do their usual 25 kilometres to Great River and back, while the children will ride in a closed circuit at the venue.

The entry fees to the event are $500 for pro-ams, $300 for recreational cyclists and $200 for children.

Committed to serving its community under its motto 'Service Above Self', the Montego Bay Rotary East has, with the aid of sponsors, disbursed more than $1m in scholarships to needy students in St. James. This is the 12th staging of the event.