The Rosarito-Ensenada 50 Mile Fun Bike Ride had 5,000 participants --- an increase of more than 40 percent from the April edition --- as the event in its 30th year passed the 20 million mile mark.
The Saturday ride along a scenic route from the seaside resort area to the port city of Ensenada was one of several high-profile weekend events for Rosarito, including the first in a planned annual sand sculpture contest and the annual steak and lobster festival.
Bike ride organizer Gary Foster attributed the ride’s increased attendance to the growing awareness that Mexico’s highly publicized crackdown on organized crime did not affect visitors or daily activities.
“The corridor from Rosarito Beach to Ensenada is safe for tourists, and Baja remains a beautiful and affordable destination for travel with friends and family,"
Foster said.
Foster also thanked the Baja Secretary of Tourism and the city of Rosarito for their support.
Rosarito Beach Mayor Hugo Torres was the official starter as a sea of cyclists filled Boulevard Benito Juarez from the starting line near the Rosarito Beach Hotel and stretched blocks to the north.
“I want to thank you all for coming to Rosarito and for trusting us,” Torres told assembled cyclists.and their many supporters “Enjoy the ride and come back every year --- or more than twice a year.”
Cyclists came from throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America. Abut 400,000 riders have participated in the event which began in 1979.
This year’s riders included men and women of a wide variety of ages. The youngest rider in the iconic and festive event was 7.
Following the successful bike ride, Rosarito on Sunday hosted Baja Sand 2009. The event sponsored by the State Secretary of Tourism and the city is the first in what is hoped will become an annual event for Rosarito.
As well as a competition between more than 20 amateur teams, Baja Sand 2009 also featured an exhibition by Archisand.
Archisand, a team of architects and craftsmen, was founded by in 1989 by Greg LeBon. It has won the 10-man division of the U.S. Open at Imperial Beach six of the past nine years. More than 300,000 people attend that annual competition.
“This is a great venue,” LeBon said Sunday. “We’ve been tremendously impressed by the hospitality of the people and the cleanliness of this beautiful stretch of beach.”
Raul Aragon, Rosarito’s state tourism delegate, said the number of participants exceeded expectations. The first full-scale sand sculpting competition is scheduled for May 2 of 2010, he said.
While the sand sculpture competition was taking place, people walked the nearby grounds of the Rosarito Beach Hotel and sampled food from Rosarito restaurants during the city’s annual steak and lobster festival.
