More Than 4,500 Riders In 31st Annual Rosarito To Ensenada 50-Mile Bike Ride

ROSARITO BEACH, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO---More than 4,500 riders participated in Saturday’s Rosarito to Ensenada 50-Mile Fun Bike Ride, a twice yearly event that has attracted hundreds of thousands of participants in 31 years.

"Thank you for the confidence to participate in this traditional tour in Rosarito, a city where you always are welcome," Rosarito Mayor Hugo Torres told cyclists who lined the city’s downtown for blocks.

 The event attracts international riders from amateur to professional, with most coming from the United States and Mexico. Thousands of friends and family come to watch.

This version attracted several hundred more participants than its counterpart last year.

Torres told the colorful gathering that the event was one that greatly helps promote Rosarito internationally. He and State Secretary of Tourism Oscar Escobedo sounded the starting horns that sent the cyclists on their way to Ensenada 50 miles down the coast.

Caption: Rosarito Mayor Hugo Torres sounds the starting horn for the Rosarito to Ensenada 50-Mile Fun Bike Ride, which is in its 31^st year

Weekly Fishing Column: Rosarito Beach trip warm with smiles

By Phil Friedman, Correspondent

Posted: 04/16/2010 12:06:30 AM PDT

http://www.dailybreeze.com/sports/ci_14896154

Jeep Shaffer and Joyce Jerome of Redondo Beach hadn't been back to the Rosarito Beach Hotel since 9-11 and the subsequent restrictions at the border.


That combined with the deluge of press suggesting that there was widespread violence throughout Mexico kept them from traveling south.


The notion that they had not been able to travel to Baja left a hole in their hearts, for they had so many fond memories and had made so many lasting friendships.


This past weekend, the couple decided to go back on a guided tour with 976-TUNA. The group was not only headed to Rosarito Beach to enjoy Baja and all it has to offer but also to treat more than 300 local children to a day at the beach. Included was a basketball clinic put on by 1972 world champion Laker Flynn Robinson, fishing on the Rosarito Beach Pier with 976-TUNA, as well as swimming and relay races on the beach.


Roughly half of the 300 children were from the local orphanages, and this was the first time they felt the beach sand under their feet.


"Joyce and I just wanted to be part of it. "It was a moment in time we will never, ever forget," Shaffer said as he wiped tears from his eyes.


Shaffer made it down to the Rosarito Beach basketball courts to see Robinson giving the children instruction on how to improve their game.


Rosarito Beach Mayor Hugo Torres had opened up his beautiful hotel to the children while Arturo Martinez from the State Secretary of Tourism Office

and other locals made sure the kids had water and a fantastic meal. "It's just as I remember it," Jerome said. "The hotel, the food, the people, the beautiful ocean."
One little girl from the orphanage hugged Robinson as he continued to teach the fine art of basketball.
"Te amo mucho," she said to Robinson.


"This has been an extraordinary day," Robinson said. "Winning the world championship with Wilt (Chamberlain) was one of the greatest days of my life. This is not far behind it."


Jerome and Shaffer remembered a favorite restaurant in town where they had enjoyed some memorable meals. Even though news reports made it seem like a bad idea to go into town, the two couldn't resist trying to get down to El Nido for some delicious quail and filet mignon.


With the help of a lovely young lady from the Rosarito Beach Hotel, the threesome headed through downtown Rosarito Beach until they came to a curb that they could not push the wheelchair over. As they started down the block to go around the curb, three waiters from an adjacent restaurant ran out, picked up the wheelchair and Jeep and helped him up on to the curb.


"This is the same Baja I remember," Shaffer said.
And yes, the quail and filet mignon at ElNido were as delectable and tender as they had remembered.
Back at the hotel, the children were wrapping up a memorable day. Redondo Beach volunteer Mike Aaker said the looks and smiles on the kids' faces would have him coming back again and again.


The group is planning another trip this fall. For more information, you can e mail philip@976-TUNA.com.
philip@976-TUNA.com


http://www.dailybreeze.com/sports/ci_14896154

Rosarito-Ensenada 50-Mile Fun Bike Ride Starts 31st Year With Race This Saturday

ROSARITO BEACH, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO---The Rosarito-Enesenada 50-Mile Fun Bike Ride will begin its 31^st year this Saturday with the first of two yearly events.

"Five-thousand cyclists are expected to ride on April 17,” said San Diego event promoter Gary Foster. “The event had 4,000 last September and only 3,000 one year ago in April, so Baja tourism is definitely increasing."

Participants came from throughout the world but mainly the United States and Mexico. Following a course along the coast and through rural countryside, the ride is geared both for serious competitors and those who take a more relaxed approach.

“This is one of the signature events for our region and attracts a great group of people,” said Rosarito Beach Mayor Hugo Torres. “We’re pleased to have the event, the riders, their friends and family visit us twice each year.”

Further information, entry fees and registration is available at www.rosaritoensenada.com. Participants also can register the day of the event.

Sometimes called a “party on wheels,” the Rosarito-Ensenada  50-Mile Fun Bike Ride has attracted hundreds of thousand of participants since its start in 1979. The next ride will be this September.

The ride always begins near the front entrance of the Rosarito Beach Hotel and concludes with a Finish Line Fiesta, which this year will be at the Corona Hotel in Ensenada. It will feature food, drinks and music.

 "Lots of people are taking the round-trip bus ride from San Diego that's available from the event organizers for $89,” Foster said, “That's a great option for people who don't want to drive.”

Rosarito Mayor Addresses International Educators, Promotes Binational Summit In Las Vegas Visit

ROSARITO BEACH, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO---During a two-day visit to Las Vegas, Rosarito Mayor Hugo Torres gave a keynote talk to an international association of educators and promoted a May 6 and 7 binational summit in his city.

Torres also met with Mexican Consul General Mariano Lemus and conducted interviews with several Las Vegas media outlets.

                                                                                                   

The Rosarito mayor was the keynote luncheon speaker Saturday for the International Academy of Business Disciplines convention, which attracted leading educators from more than 50 countries throughout the world.

He spoke about crisis management and was introduced by Emerson College professor Gregory Payne, whose class has a RediscoveRosarito project, as “one of the leaders around the world who makes a difference.”

The main theme of Torre’s speech was the challenge of informing people in the United States that Rosarito and northern Baja were safe for visitors, when almost all the news about Mexico deals with the government crackdown on violent drug cartels.

Violence in places including Ciudad Juarez --- 600 miles from Baja --- has created the impression that all of Mexico is unsafe, he said.

Despite this incorrect perception, crime in northern Baja in 2009 declined by 10 percent and 21 percent in Rosarito, to a five-year low for the city.

When he decided to run for mayor in 2006, there were corruption problems with the city police department, Torres said: “We had problems not only in perception but in reality.”

But a massive overhaul of the police department, establishment of a tourist police force and other steps have made Rosarito an extremely safe and welcoming city, he said. The main challenge now is  in informing people of that.

Torres said he still was trying to determine the most effective methods for doing that, but that being available to media and “always telling the truth” are key factors, as are testimonials from the city’s many expatriate residents.

Torres also met with Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and invited him to be a special guest at the Fifth Binational Mayors’ Summit on May 6 and 7 in Rosarito Beach, co-hosted by Redondo Beach.

Although the summit is primarily for mayors from Baja and Southern California, topics are of regional interest, including the future of the border crossings, economic development, environment and public safety.

Goodman expressed great interest in a workshop on desalination and said he would attend the summit if his schedule permits.

SUPERA EXPECTATIVAS AFLUENCIA TURÍSTICA DURANTE SEMANA SANTA

Localidades de playa las más concurridas



TIJUANA.- Lunes 5 de abril de 2010.- Un buen inicio de lo que se considera la temporada alta en materia de turismo para Baja California se registró el pasado fin de semana al superarse las expectativas de afluencia, particularmente en los destinos de playa, así lo dio a conocer el Secretario de Turismo del Estado, Oscar Escobedo Carignan.

De acuerdo con los reportes obtenidos de los propios servidores turísticos de la entidad, durante el pasado fin de semana se registró una afluencia estimada en unos 140 mil visitantes que se desplazaron por la entidad, generando una derrama económica estimada superior a los 11.5 millones de dólares.

El titular de SECTURE explicó que en lo que corresponde a los destinos de Playa; Ensenada, Playas de Rosarito y San Felipe, la ocupación hotelera promedio para los días jueves 1, viernes 2 y sábado 3 de abril fue del 75 por ciento.

Es importante mencionar que el sábado fue el día que registró un repunte en la actividad, pues Ensenada alcanzó un 92 por ciento y San Felipe se mantuvo, al igual que el viernes, con un 100 por ciento en la ocupación hotelera.

Por otro lado, en el caso de Playas de Rosarito se pudo observar un extraordinario movimiento de visitantes en las principales playas, así como en los restaurantes y comercios, incluyendo Puerto Nuevo que es la cuna de la tradicional langosta con frijoles y tortillas de harina.

“Estos resultados nos dan brindan un escenario optimista respecto a cómo se estaría comportando la actividad en los próximos meses del año; es muy importante además reconocer a los servidores turísticos de la entidad, así como a todos los organismos que participan no sólo en la promoción de nuestros destinos, sino también en la atención de nuestros visitantes”.

Por otro lado en cuanto a otros indicadores, se registraron un total de 14 mil 808 personas atendidas por SECTURE en las diferentes oficinas y módulos, en tanto que el aforo vehicular en la carretera escénica Tijuana – Rosarito – Ensenada fue de 162 mil vehículos, mientras que en la carretera Tecate – El Hongo la cifra alcanzó los casi 32 mil automóviles.